Laying Low Was Never an Option
by Katsy0c0
Summary: Jean knew he and his friends were weird, but dealing with this was on a whole new level. - In which most of them are either mutants or experiments gone horribly right, and a particular group of S.H.I.E.L.D agents won't leave them alone.
1. Chapter 1

Jean snapped the middle finger and thumb of his right hand and watched the small flame that appeared burn, the events of that day running through his head. He had been able to control it so well these past months, and yet he slipped. His damn irrational anger got to him and it was all because of Jaeger that everyone saw. Right then he really wished any mark he had made on Eren during lunch would be permanent, but as he learned they unfortunately would not be. Of course he gets the nice mutation. No chance of hurting anyone, no chance of getting hurt himself. And then there was Jean, he thought, stuck with this. Now a whole batch of people from their school knew and, oh god, who knows how quickly that would spread-

His thoughts were cut short by the vibrations of his phone on the bed next to him.

**From: Marco**

**Hey! You left so quick I never got a chance to properly talk to you!** **Stupid question, but are you okay?**

Well at least he had the decency to admit it was a stupid question.

**To: Marco**

**of course im not okay. there is literally no way in hell i can be okay right now.**

Jean put his phone back down on his bed, waiting for his best friends reply. He tried to focus on homework, to maybe take his mind off things for a bit, but it wasn't helping. There was another buzz from his phone.

**From: Marco**

**Yeah I sorta figured. Do you want to talk about it? :(**

No he most certainly did not want to talk about it. Not with anyone, not even Marco. What was there to talk about? He had slipped up and exposed himself in front of a bunch of their peers, who probably aren't going to be looking at him the same way when he walks into school tomorrow. Or, well, if he walks into school tomorrow. There was another buzz from his phone.

**From: Marco**

**Oh yeah, and I'm coming over right away if I don't get a reply in a certain amount of time. :)**

Oh hell no.

Jean typed a reply as fast as his fingers could go.

**To: Marco**

**marco bott i swear i will set fire to everything u love if i hear u coming up those stairs. i dont want to talk about it!**

"Oh, well then you should have typed that out quicker! Nice black eye, by the way."

Jean was so startled that he ended up tossing his phone right up at his ceiling, where it hit and landed on the floor with a loud thud. In that moment he was very grateful for otter boxes.

"Jesus Christ Marco, what the hell?!" He collected himself and picked up his phone. He shot his best friend a dirty look, but it melted into a reluctant smile when he noticed Marco's half-assed effort to stifle a laugh.

"So, what's going to be torched first? My laptop, or my phone? Or maybe my book shelf? That one might be better. Oh, but I like what's on there…"

"Marco."

"Oh! I know! We start with the book shelf, than throw everything else in like a bonfire!"

"Marco." Jean repeated, raising his voice a level.

"That's not important though, I absolutely did not come here to discuss you committing arson against me! I came here to talk about-"

"Maaaaaaaarcoooooooooo." Jean began poking him repeatedly in the face, not missing a freckle.

"…what?" Marco slapped Jean's hand away from his face, and sat up against the wall. "I was just trying to say-"

"How did you get in here?" Jean interrupted again, with a questioning, and slightly amused, look on his face. He backed up and sat against the wall next to him. He had to admit, even if he really did want to be alone, having Marco there did bring his mood up a bit. He always did have a sort of calming effect on Jean, which is one of the reasons he was so successful at controlling his abilities. Up until now, that is.

"Huh? Well, I walked here of course! I only live two townhouses down..." Marco said, looking down and rubbing his nose. Ah hah, Jean figured as much. He didn't hear him coming up the stairs, or open his door, or walk to his bed after all. His mind may have been a million miles away at the time, but he certainly wasn't an idiot.

"Marco…" Jean began, stifling a laugh and getting closer to his face. "Did you… Did you seriously phase through two peoples houses to get here?" Marco rather pointedly avoided eye contact during this intense interrogation.

"N-no one was home!" He blurted out fast, his face turning an interesting shade of scarlet. "At least, not on the top floor. I didn't break any entrances or trip any alarms, so what does it matter? I wanted to get here quick!"

Jean playfully punched his arm and let his laugh out. "Saint Marco, a regular home invader! Wait until people here about this one!"

Marco shoved him back in return. "H-hey! It's not like I-"

"Oh, yeah, sorry, wouldn't want to hinder that Boy Scout reputation of yours!" Jean said, in a rather sarcastic tone. "So you agree then?"

"Agree on what?" Marco replied.

"That you don't want people to know? That you're mutant, I mean." Jean's tone became more serious, but still had an edge of sarcasm in it. "Cutting the bullshit, you came here to talk about today, so let's talk about today."

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, with Marco clearly struggling to think of an answer to Jean's question. At least, an answer that would satisfy him. "…You have nothing to be ashamed of Jean."

"I said we were cutting the bullshit," Jean snapped out in response. "You can't even tell me that everything will be fine walking into school tomorrow! We've seen it before, after all. I'll go in, and anyone who saw, anyone they told, and god knows who they told, won't even be able to look at me in the eyes. I'm just so excited for people to start treating me like some kind of freak! Hell, I am a goddamn freak so it's not like they'll be wrong!" He curled his knees to his chest and dug his face down. "Like hell I'm even going to school for the rest of the week. And besides, why the hell are you telling me that, I mean, you moved here three years ago for a fucking reason, so don't even give me that bull-", He cut his sentence short when he noticed the pained look on Marco's face the moment he brought up that sore spot.

"…Sorry. God dammit, sorry, that was out of line. Sometimes I wish I knew when to shut up, I'm sorry, stop making that face, fuck." Jean dug his face into his knees again and really wished Marco would speak up. He wouldn't have blamed him for walking out at that moment, but instead he felt a hand on his back.

"You know Jean, sometimes I really wish you would discover your off switch, but I guess you just wouldn't be you if you did." A small smile returned to Marco's face as he said this. Jean couldn't help but laugh at this statement, and jokingly shoved him to the side. "Also, I hope you realize you're not alone here by the way. I don't think the others would mind coming to your rescue if anyone gives you any grief tomorrow… If you come that is."

"Yeah, sorry, that's still a no. People's shitty attitudes aside, I don't want to deal with him." He rolled his eyes and sat back up, crossing his legs and leaning on his palm. Jean admitted to himself that the one upside to this was that it was Jaeger's problem too. Jeans clearly flaming hand was one thing, but the injury Eren sustained on his face from said hand also very clearly to everyone present healed in a matter of a minute.

"That asshole can deal with it tomorrow all by his goddamn self; it's what he gets for starting it."

* * *

><p>Armin sat back on the bench and watched the rain drizzle around them. The weather forecast that morning had said it wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow night, but it seems Mother Nature had her own ideas. He glanced over and saw Mikasa nuzzling her face into her red scarf, the expression on her face gradually softening. On the other hand Eren, who sat between them, was making a face that wasn't showing signs of softening anytime soon. His hands were dug into the pockets of his hoodie, and he was slouched over, making him look almost childishly pouty at that moment. Armin was relieved to note that over all though, Eren was feeling much calmer then he was when they left school.<p>

Armin found himself feeling much calmer in that moment too. There was something serene about just being alone in a comfortable silence with the two of them, watching the rain fall softly around them, especially after the rather crazy day they had at school. He was tempted to take a glance and hear what they were feeling at the moment, but he figured they'd much rather be alone with their own thoughts. He had the power to be as invasive as he wanted to, and they wouldn't even know, but he knew better, and he knew when it was an appropriate thing to do or not.

He remembered the first day he started hearing other people's thoughts. How strange it was for everyone in class to be talking at once, so loudly and so clearly, in the middle of such an important test. Armin also remembered how strange it was to look up and see that, in fact, no one's mouths were moving at all. He remembered the head ache he had gotten, and the awful nauseous feeling as people's thoughts grew louder and louder, until he had to excuse himself and lock himself in the bathroom until lunchtime. Fourth grade would prove to be a strange year. He controlled it much better after that year though, and even slowly discovered all the other things he could do, all without getting a head ache like that again.

The thought of headaches caused a light bulb to switch on for him in that moment. He turned to look at Eren, and noticed that the bottom left rim of the beanie he was wearing had an obvious scorch mark from when Jean hit him.

"Eren," He said questioningly, "You didn't, uhm, you didn't get that pain in your head at any point during that fight today, did you?" Armin made a tapping motion on his temple with his finger. Mikasa perked her head up at the question, the same thought probably running through her mind. "I just, you know, want to make sure things weren't as bad as they could have gotten."

Eren took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed his eyes, leaning back. "No," He answered with a disgruntled sigh. He had a feeling he'd get this question eventually, but he certainly wasn't looking forward to it. Eren was honestly always reluctant to discuss his other abilities, if he could call them that. To him, abilities implied that he at least should have some shred of control over them. "And I'm not lying, I know you'd be able to tell so what would even be the point?"

"Be grateful that it's only your healing factor people found out about." Mikasa chimed in, digging her face further into her scarf.

"Tch, don't you think I know that?" He snapped back, shoving his hands back into his hoodie pocket. Eren thought that if he had to listen to another lecture on how he should learn to 'control his emotions' or that he should 'not let his anger get the better of him' from either of them, he probablywould snap.

"…I'm just happy you're okay is all." She replied back, with a slightly apologetic tone.

…as much as he hated the lectures and the, as he saw it, babying, he did know that they only had his best interest in mind. He did have a tendency to be short with them, especially Mikasa. Eren couldn't blame them for it, what with the things that would happen if his anger got the better of him.

"We should get going!" Armin said, after a moment of tension. He jumped up from his spot and motioned for the other two to follow. "It's getting kind of late…" He checked his watch. 4:30 PM, with the skies getting darker by the minute due to cloud cover. "And we still have a bit of homework to do."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Eren got up from his spot on the bench and cracked his knuckles. Mikasa soon followed, and the three were on their way. They walked down the surprisingly quiet Brooklyn street, a few cars zooming along the way. Rain had begun to fall even harder, and it would soon be hard to see if they didn't make it home in time. Along the way, several homes were lit up with Christmas lights that hadn't been taken down since December, and a few budding flowers in window boxes. Armin thought it made the gloom of the rainy April evening just a little more bearable. After everything they'd been through over the past few months, he thought, the warm spring atmosphere might be exactly what they needed.

* * *

><p>Marco leaned back against the headboard of Jean's bed, taking a careful sip of his hot chocolate. He looked out the window at the darkening cloudy sky, and then to the clock on Jean's night stand. 5:45 PM, he'd been there for almost three hours and hadn't even noticed. It didn't take long for Jean to want to get off the subject of that day's events, and Marco had given up trying to force it. After that they began talking about more mundane things like homework, and how ridiculously cold it still was that week, whether or not Marco was at risk of ever falling through the Earth's crust accidentally (he was not), or if Jean could hold his hand on a hot stove top and be totally unaffected (he could). All in all, the evening had turned peaceful and comfortable. Marco figured he would have to head home eventually, leaving Jean to wallow in his own thoughts again. He realized he hadn't even told his mom he'd be leaving; hopefully it would be easy to figure out where he had gone off to.<p>

Oh yeah, moms.

"So what are you going to tell your mom?" Marco asked, placing his mug on Jeans night stand.

"What? Not anytime soon, if that's what you mean!" Jean's tone got defensive, and Marco chuckled.

"I don't mean about that, of course not! I'm talking about that lovely black eye you're wearing."

Jeans hand quickly moved to his right eye. He ran over to the mirror and examined the bruise, which over the three hours Marco was there he had almost forgotten he'd even had. Damn that Eren and his killer left hook, he thought.

"She hasn't called to yell at me, so maybe the school hasn't called her…" Jean thought about his options for a second. Tell the truth and deal with a lecture only a mother can give, consisting of such phrases as 'I'm very disappointed in you', accompanied by a slap upside the head? Hell no. Hmmmm…

"Maybe she won't notice?"

"Really, Jean? She won't notice?"

Well okay, that's an obvious no go. After examining himself in the mirror again for a few seconds, Jean turned around and flopped on his bed face first next to Marco, who gave him several pats on the head before reaching for his hot chocolate again. Jean grumbled something loudly, but given his current position it came out more like a garbled mess of muffled curses. This was probably exactly what it was. Mug in one hand, Marco tried to roll him over and sit him up, but Jean wouldn't have it, slapping his hand away.

"Well I guess I can't stop you if you really want to just lay there in defeat." Marco let out a sigh and slumped down closer to him.

"You know Marco, this blows. This truly fucking blows." Jean rolled onto his back and stared at his ceiling in resignation. "Yup, might as well stay out of school for the rest of the year. Good bye top ten status, you were nice while you lasted!"

"…Sorry for bringing it up again."

"Tch, don't be. It's not like this situation is your fault. And…," Jean looked over to him and gave him a small, yet warm smile, "thanks for being here for me."

Marco returned his smile twice over. "Always! But ah, Jean, please don't skip out on school for the rest of the year. I will come in here and drag your butt out of bed every morning if I have to."

"HA! I'd like to see you try!"

"I'm serious, Jean!" Marco's tone became less casual and Jean winced at how serious he actually got, true to his words. "What would be the point of just giving up everything you've worked for, every success you've had? You're better than that!" Jean finally sat up against the headboard next to Marco, noting the disappointment in his voice.

"Am I really though? Stop saying that, you think too highly of me." Jean turned his eyes downward, avoiding eye contact.

"You absolutely are!" Marco's tone once again returned to sympathetic. He paused for a bit, thinking of what to say. He put a hand on Jean's shoulder and continued, "You know, you're a bit of a coward sometimes," Jean shot him a look and raised an eyebrow, "-hey, hear me out on this! You're a bit of a coward sometimes, and given the choice and circumstance I'm sure you'd take the easy way out each time," He paused for a second again, "but, you know, you're not clueless. I mean, you've always been good at reading people and your surroundings, and sometimes I think that's why you're not exactly great at the whole friendship thing Mr. Brutal Honesty…," he chuckled, and looked over at Jean, surprised to see he wasn't glaring at him for his remarks. Instead his features were softer, and there were hints of a smile. He looked genuinely interested.

"But that also means that you have this certain sense of understanding that other people lack and, well, you see where I'm going with this?" Jean turned his eyes down again in thought.

"You're saying I should know better, and that locking myself in my room will solve jack shit."

"You see, now you're getting it! Jean, you're a smart guy! And sure I just called you a coward, but you're pretty brave when the time calls for it!" Marco gave him a nudge and attempted to make eye contact.

"I just… I don't know. Give me a bit to think about it. Yeah, I know going into school tomorrow with my head held high would be the noble thing to do, but is it exactly the smart thing? Honor before reasons never really been my thing you know."

"Oh, trust me, I know," Marco gave him a smirk that Jean reluctantly found himself returning. "I trust you to make the right decision on your own then." And with that, Marco drank the last of his hot chocolate and got up.

"What, you're leaving already?"

"I have to! I still have homework to do, and it's almost 6:30. Plus I didn't exactly tell my mom I'd be here so…"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand, go away then, leave me alone to deal with my own mom, I see how it is!" Jean said with a mocking tone, throwing a pillow at his best friend. "I guess I may or may not see you tomorrow then!"

"I'm hoping on the former! Oh, and Jean, try to play nice with Eren from now on. You know, shake hands, don't provoke each other…"

"…Okay, now you're asking for a bit much. Tell that to him, it's his fault we're in this mess!"

"If I recall, you opened your mouth first." Marco raised an eyebrow at Jean and had his hands on his hips.

"Yeah?! Well-!" Okay, Jean couldn't deny that. He did throw the first comment. "Well, Eren continued running his mouth after so… and he did throw the first punch."

"Not the point! Like I said, you're not clueless Jean."

Jean let out a sigh and reluctantly nodded his head in agreement. It would be better for all of them if Eren and he attempted to get along better. There group was all they had after all. At school, counting him and Marco, there were about nine, now twelve, mutants in their grade, and they all knew each other. Who better to hang out with then people who understand your struggles? Even with the circumstances, Jean was glad that for the first time in his life, he had a large, supportive group of friends. Begrudgingly, he included Eren in that thought now as well.

"The attempt has to be mutual though." Marco agreed on this condition, and gave his friend a smile.

"I'm glad! Now if you'll excuse me, I do actually have to go now. Text me or something if you decide to go to school, okay? We can just walk to the bus together as usual!" Marco chatted on a bit as he made his way to the wall Jean presumed he climbed out of.

Jean, smirking, nodded his head and waved him off. He looked down, contemplating all they had discussed and what he was to do. No matter what way he looked at it, and no matter what way he could choose to handle it, he concluded it was going to suck. He looked up to where Marco had just been standing, but found that his friend was already gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday April. 18<strong> **th** **, 6:30 A.M.**

**No New Messages.**

Marco let out a sigh and slipped his phone back into the pocket of his pullover hoodie. Standing at the bus stop, he couldn't tell what was more disappointing; Jean not texting him or the failure of their school to close like everyone had started to anticipate due to rumored freezing rain. While the slightly chilly air and lightly falling rain weren't making the already dreary morning any better (Marco was often told before he moved down there that city schools closed almost at the very mention of snow fall or sleet. Now there was a disappointment.), the notion that Jean had decided to skip out on school and his responsibilities was a far greater let down. He truly thought he got through to him during their talk last night, but there he was, standing unexpectedly alone. He took his iPod out of his pocket and slipped his ear buds in, cranking his music just high enough so that he could get lost in different thoughts, and still not get a headache.

Marco was never ashamed of who he was. He was a mutant, and that was a fact that was never going to change, no matter how many fake-cures were supposedly made. He knew full well that people feared him, or looked down on him, or simply saw him as, well, not exactly human. But he never felt any shame. In fact, he was almost grateful for it. He would be lying if he said being able to phase through solid objects wasn't incredibly useful or fun every now and then. Hell, the first time he discovered his mutation was when half of him involuntarily phased through a car. A speeding car. As it sped toward him with no signs of stopping.

He was ten at the time, and scared out of his mind. There was about a five minute time span when he thought he really died, until he looked and saw there was no body on the ground and he was still in one piece. The next thing he knew he was sprinting towards his house and passed right through the front door, again without even meaning to. He was grateful his parents were upstairs, or else he would have run into some major trouble. Unfortunately, the trouble he was worried about would prove to be a problem several years later when his dad found out and was, to say the least, not happy.

Marco's mind quickly snapped back to the present when the bus came to a halt in front of him. He stepped on, taking the empty seat closest to the front as usual, one other empty seat next to him. The bus ride from Brooklyn to Manhattan was always tedious and boring, though more comfortable to him then taking the train every day, but having Jean there made it actually fun. He changed the song on his iPod and leaned his head against the window, watching the buildings pass by. Jean… after everything they'd discussed last night, why would he stay home? He realized that the disappointment was less targeted at Jean and more at himself for being unable to help like he should be. Jean was the person he was closest to, who he trusted more than anyone, and yet during his time of need he couldn't even-

There was a buzz from his phone. He opened the lock screen and saw one singular message.

**From: Jean**

**TELL THE BUS DRIVER TO FUCKING STOP!**

Uh.

**To: Jean**

**What?**

He felt a banging on the side, and peaked over the window to see what all the commotion was. Lo and behold, he'd recognize that two toned hair anywhere, even at the odd angle he was peaking down on. Right there, running frantically and banging on the side of the bus in a desperate attempt to stop it, was none other the Jean Kirstein.

A big stupid grin spread across Marco's face, and he turned and waved at Jean, who sarcastically waved back before mouthing something that Marco couldn't quite make out, though it was probably something obscene. He quickly took his ear buds out and walked up towards the bus driver.

"S-stop the bus please!" After three years, he knew this particular bus driver well, and hoped he would sympathize with him in that moment. "You forgot someone!"

"What?" The driver, looking a little dumbfounded, glanced over slightly and saw Jean's form sprinting closer to the door. Marco almost forgot how fast he could be. To their luck for once, the driver was about to hit a red light and came to a halt. The door was quickly opened, and Jean, breathing heavily and red in the face, stepped on.

"Jean, you… you came! You actually got up and came!" Marco sat him down in the empty seat next to him, taking his water out of his back pack for Jean to have.

"Heh, yeah no shit…" He slumped back in his seat, pressing the cold water bottle against his forehead before opening up and taking a large gulp. "I forgot to set my alarm clock last night and woke up a little late, so… I was planning on coming the whole time! Okay? Wipe that grin off your face; it's not that big a deal!" Jean felt a little insulted that Marco would have such little faith in him.

Marco, however, felt nothing but total faith in his best friend. Okay, sure there was a surge of doubt when Jean didn't show up at the bus stop but that's totally natural, right? It was whatever. He was there, he took responsibility and that's what mattered to him in that moment. He wore that grin for the rest of the bus ride, leaning his head on the window as the buildings and river passed. Jean was napping soundly beside him for most of it. Marco concluded that he mustn't have had a lot of sleep the previous night, telling by the bags under his eyes and the deep nap that would be a pain in the ass to wake him up from. Jean was by no means a morning person, but he was usually awake enough by this time to be conversational.

He couldn't blame him. Marco could only imagine the thoughts running through Jean's head as he tried to drift away to sleep. A lot of uncertainty came with the new day, and Jean was absolutely right in saying it wouldn't be pleasant dealing with the people who knew. Oh well, one step at a time. That's how we have to take it, he thought.

The rain picked up slightly as they reached their midtown Manhattan bus stop, just around three blocks away from their high school. Marco lightly nudged Jean awake and helped him up. Jean took a deep breath as he stumbled out into the chilly, yet warming city air, stopping in his tracks as they started to make their way over. It took Marco a few steps to realize he wasn't following him.

"Jean? What's wrong?" He didn't answer. Jean's eyes were downcast and his hands were lodged into his jacket pockets. "Don't tell me you're backing out on me now."

Jean took another deep breath and took his hands out of his pockets, attempting to rub both the tired and the worry out of his eyes. "No, sorry I was just...thinking about things I guess."

"Like what?"

"Like what the hell I'm supposed to say to Eren," Jean quickly caught up with Marco and the two made their way down the busy side walk. "and what the hell I'm supposed to do if there are wondering eyes."

"You keep your head up and walk. What's that old British proverb... 'keep calm and carry on?' Yeah, do that."

Jean let out a snort and crossed his arms. "Easier said then done."

"It's okay, I believe in you," Marco gave him two pats on the shoulder, "and I'm with you every step of the way!"

The two walked in a comfortable silence as they made their way down the last few blocks, which were still relatively empty by city standards. The stairs leading up to the school entrance seemed higher and longer then usual to Jean when they reached them, though he shrugged it off as 't you even think about backing out now.

Marco held the door open for him, and he quickly stepped into the lobby. As usual, it was filled with groups of teenagers chatting away and ignoring teachers yelling at them to get to homeroom. Jean slung his backpack onto one shoulder and grabbed Marco's arm, dragging him around the enormous group of students and staff in the most inconspicuous way he could, making an effort not to meet anyone's eyes.

* * *

><p>"What are you looking at?" Eren snapped, the other students quickly averting their eyes and turning to walk in the opposite direction. "Can't even open my goddamn locker..."<p>

"Well, half our grade did see your face melt off yesterday. If you're not expecting people to stare-"

"Thanks Armin, I get it." He slumped against his locker, running his fingers through his hair. He expected the stares alright, what he didn't expect was that he would actually be effected by them.

The moment Him, Armin, and Mikasa walked into school it started to weigh on him. A kid literally stopped at the door just to gawk, and it took Mikasa grabbing Eren by the collar and dragging him to stop him from socking the kid in the face. That wasn't even close to the end of it. When they stopped at the cafeteria to grab coffee, a freshmen walked up behind him and poked his cheek multiple times, as if checking to see if it was even real. Eren gave him a death glare that could cut glass, easily scaring him away. Goddamn it, why couldn't this have just kept with the kids at lunch.

"You know how fast things spread around high schools. Thinking it would stay with just the kids in our grade is just wishful thinking."

"...Armin I hate it when you do that."

"Sorry, sometimes I just sort of slip. You know I wouldn't do that without your permission on purpose." a small, apologetic smile crept up on his face.

"Yeah, I know, it's just frustrating. Everything is frustrating." His lock clicked open, and he tossed his unneeded books into his messy locker. "Where the hell did Mikasa go, anyway?" Eren slammed the door shut before him and Armin started down the hallway.

"She was called down to the gym last period, I guess she's not out yet."

"Why'd she get called down to the gym?"

"I'm not sure, but she seemed a little confused by it herself. Just send her a text or something, ask her when she'll be out."

"Right..." He took a deep breath and slid his phone out of his pocket, carefully guarded from the view of teachers, and shot Mikasa a quick text. The two continued down the hallway, with Eren avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

He was, however, abruptly stopped by a rough hand on his shoulder.

"We need to talk, Jaeger." Jean's voice was surprisingly calm. Standing next to him, Marco gave Eren a look reading something a long the lines of"Please listen to him. Trust me."

"...If you want to melt the rest of my face off, at least go outside first."

"No you asshole, I genuinely want- ugh, whatever, just come with me..." Jean grabbed a struggling and confused Eren by the wrist, yanking him down the hall toward an adjacent hall appropriately labeled 'Music Wing.' Armin gave Marco a slightly confused look, which Marco simply smiled and shrugged at in response. The two quickly followed Jean's trail.

Jean shoved Eren into an unlocked practice room and quickly closed the door behind them, watching for any wondering eyes in the process. Turning around, he just barely dodged Eren's fist as it came flying towards him. "WHOA dude what hell, I just want to talk!"

"That involved kidnapping me and shoving me in a fucking closet?!"

"First off it's a band practice room, idiot. Second this isn't exactly something I want to discuss out in the open."

"What is there to discuss-" Eren cut himself off when he noticed Marco effortlessly come into the room through the wall, completely ignoring the perfectly unlocked door. The absurdity of what he just witnessed caused him to lose track of his own thoughts. "...Marco, uh-"

"Oh! I'm sorry Eren, that must have been a little weird. Sometimes I forget I should use the doors at school. Wouldn't want to completely freak people out, you know?" Marco gave Eren a warm smile before taking a seat near Jean, who was currently biting back a laugh at Eren's expense. "Yeah, your friends and Jean aren't exactly the only mutants at this school you know."

"Y-yeah I can see that." Eren followed Marco's example and pulled up a chair, taking a deep breath and diverting his attention back to Jean. "...is that what you wanted to talk to me about? I think I can figure shit like that out on my own, and I don't exactly see how that has anything to do with-"

"I wanted to apologize."

"Excuse me?" The two locked eyes for a second. Eren's were wide, while Jean's were down cast. He rubbed the back of his neck, an obviously defeated blush creeping up on his face. "...You dragged me down the hall, shoved me in a practice room, and made me late for lunch just so you could say sorry?" Eren would have been fuming if it wasn't for the fact that he was so damn amused.

"No! Well, yeah but...it's not as petty as it sounds, okay?" Jean took in a deep breath and let out a sharp exhale. "I can apologize in front of others, I'm not as big an asshole as you think you know."

"Well Marco seems to like you, but the whole melting my face of thing makes me question."

"You know Eren, this would be a lot easier if you just let me talk." Jean glanced over at Marco for reassurance, or perhaps as a plea for him to do the talking. "The thing is, me and you have a lot more things to worry about then our stupid...rivalry? I don't even know what we are, to tell you the truth. I'm sorry for being a dick yesterday and opening my mouth. I'm sorry for burning your face. I'm sorry for exposing the both of us, yadda yadda you get the point."

Eren raised an eyebrow, but was clearly interested. He too looked over at Marco for some kind of reassurance that this wasn't a practical joke. Marco smiled at him and nodded his head towards Jean to keep listening. Jean had a hand out to him as a sort of peace offering.

"We're not best friends obviously, but maybe we should try to be civil for everyone else. We're all going through the same shit, after all." Jean kept his hand out, waiting for Eren to take it. When he did, he gave it a reluctant yet firm shake. "Just...you're not alone here. I think that's what I'm supposed to say, right Marco?" Marco gave him an eye roll and a thumbs up.

"...Okay." Eren swallowed the lump in his throat and let go of Jean's hand. He looked around the room for a moment, and noticed they were missing someone. "Marco, where did Armin go? He was following us to, wasn't he?"

"He got a text and said he had to go to the locker room really quick. I think he's meeting someone?"

Eren couldn't help but huff at both his best friend's abilities to disappear on him like that. He wondered if perhaps they were meeting each other, since Mikasa was apparently still at the gym. "Did he give any indication at all?"

"Not really, but he got a little red and sounded urgent. He rushed off before I could even ask. I just figured it wasn't my business to follow him." Marco shrugged, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Who the hell could he be meeting that it would be so urgent?" The irritation in Eren's voice was very apparent, which Marco and Jean both got a good chuckle out of. "and why the hell would he turn red- you know what, never mind. I'll bug him about it later." He tucked his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie and slouched back in his chair, his eye brows furrowed from a pout. "So who else is there, anyway? Is there some club I'm not aware of?"

"Funny you should ask that, Jaeger." Jean moved from his spot against the wall and scooted into the seat closest to Marco. "That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. And yes, that is why I shoved you into this practice room. Congratulations on guessing right."

Eren gave him a brief scowl. "You're not serious about the club thing, right? No offense, but that's a little cheesy."

"What? No! We meet up sometimes and hang out after school in the band room, but we're not a club of any sort."

"That's kind of what a club is."

"Yeah, but we don't do fundraisers." and in a moment out of a sit com, the three of them shared a small laugh. Marco felt even more optimistic about their situation.

Eren cleared his throat before speaking again. "So who else do I want to avoid getting into fights with?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I have no clue how the mechanics of this website works holy shit.**

**Any way! I posted this on AO3 a while ago and then I remembered, oh wait, I have an account. I should probably use that.**

**So I hope you guys enjoy my lame as heck yet hella fun to write, currently ongoing Marvel AU!**

**Should I make the ships in this one more obvious. This websites tagging is so weird. But this will feature AruAni, EreMika, JeanMarco, Yumikuri, and some background Reibert. In case any of you guys are worried about that, hehe.**

**Any way, thank you for reading! Review and all that jazz. **


	2. Save It or Shove It

"Slow down, Arlert!"

"-Oh! S-sorry!" Armin stopped and nodded at the teacher, repeating his apology before starting up a fast walk again down the hall. If rules must be broken so be it. The text said to meet before the end of their lunch period outside of the girls locker room, which just so happened to be on the opposite side of the school from where he was. And ten minutes did not seem like enough time. There never was enough time with her, he thought. In fact, those rare times he actually got to be alone with her always seemed so rushed, or interrupted. Not that it was either of their faults.

She was in practically all of his classes, and he made a conscious effort to sit next to her. Between their assignments and watchful teachers, there weren't many words being exchanged during those times. Not that he minded too much. He enjoyed sneaking glances at her working. Despite her bored expression, there was always a glint in her eye that indicated to him of the world of thought going on in her head. He wanted so badly to take a peak inside, but he stopped himself every time. A line needed to be drawn somewhere.

He sat next to her at lunch whenever she showed up. Of course, those times were more scattered then he'd like. He always wondered where she went during those times, but the few instances he asked were always met with either a vague response or shrug-off all together. Fair enough, he thought. It was none of his business.

And now there she was, leaning against a wall outside of the girls locker room, mindlessly playing with her phone. Annie Leonhardt. The girl Armin happened to have a massive, stupid crush on.

When she saw him, she immediately stuffed her phone into her pocket and waved him over, a small hint of a grin on her face. Armin smiled back with an obvious blush before making his way over. He was about to say something before she put a finger to her lips, and gave him a look indicating a fairly straight forward shut up. He looked at Annie with confusion before she grabbed his wrist and started to open the locker room door.

"Not out here." She said bluntly before pulling him in, feeling lucky that the hall way was clear to begin with. Armin could feel his heart racing faster as he stepped into the very quiet, very empty locker room. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

"I-isn't someone going to come in?" He asked low, his cheeks still tinged bright red. "Class starts in eight minutes, we could get in trouble-"

"No." Was all she said as she led him in further, towards the barely used showers. He decided not to argue, figuring she knew what she was doing. Or not. Either way, he was far from opposed to not ending their meeting so quick, especially since it seemed important to her. Why it required a sneaky hide away in the girls locker room he wasn't sure, but the first thought to run through his hormone addled teenage boy brain was something along the lines of Oh my god I've never even kissed a girl before, I have no experience here good lord.

He shrugged it away, feeling slightly ashamed. Annie finally stopped towards the back wall of the shower room, and she motioned for him to sit down where she was about to sit herself. When Armin gave her a quizzical look, she shrugged and gave him a grin.

"Not a lot of people come in here, even during a gym period. It's just more private." She sat across from him, curling her legs into her chest. "It was either this or the janitors closet. Your choice, blondie."

Armin huffed, and the smile returned to his face. "This will do. I'd rather not suffocate." Of course the close proximity might not be too bad- No, stop that. He took a deep breath and sat cross-legged, crossing his arms and leaning forward. "So telling by the fact that you dragged me to a some-what secret location in the back of a locker room I'm not even technically allowed in, I can assume you have one or two important things you need to discuss with me, yeah?" She sighed, and lightly nodded her head. He glanced up at the nearby clock. "Whatever it is, you should probably make it quick. I mean, I don't mean to rush you, in fact I'd much rather talk to you then go to AP Calc, it's just-"

"Stay with me, then." Annie cocked an eyebrow, as if confused as to why it was even an issue with him to begin with. Armin was speechless for a moment.

"I-I can't just cut class like that! I mean, testing is coming up and I really don't think it would look very good on-"

"Don't be stupid, I don't think one cut is going to bring down your average more then a point of two. I've cut plenty of times and I'm still passing." She couldn't help but chuckle when he gave her a horrified face. "Don't give me that look, I only cut the useless classes. You know, like health and French." She gave him a playful push on the shoulder, causing him to lighten up again.

"...Okay. but just this once! We can't make this a frequent thing!" He gave her a pout, but was feeling the smallest twinge of excitement.

"Aw jeez, I'm hurt. Do you not like hanging out with me, Armin?" She kept down a grin and stared at him almost wide eyed. Armin was about to stutter out an answer before she placed a finger on his mouth to shut him up preemptively. His face burned again, and he became very aware of how close she was. She shifted in place, brushing against and briefly grabbed a hold of his hand for balance before setting herself down again.

_Damn, he's got soft hands. I wouldn't be shocked if he put on lotion daily. He seems like the type...Maybe I should start doing that, my hands are rough as sandpaper._

Armin blinked. "Annie?"

"Hm?"

"Did you say something?"

"I did not."

"Ah."

They stared at each other for a moment before Annie was shaken out of it by a buzz from her phone. She took it out and looked, and grumbled something about spam emails from colleges. Armin was still looking at her before it hit him.

He slipped. He was so wrapped up in taking in how close they were that he slipped when she touched him, getting a nice little peak inside her head. And apparently he had soft hands.

Armin's expression changed from confusion to almost child-like curiosity. To "accidentally" slip again or not to "accidentally" slip again, that was the question. On the one hand, he wanted to get inside her head more then anything and now he had the motivation, but on the other hand the last thing he wanted to do was fall into the category of a creeper. Was too much at stake, was he over thinking it, was he being more cautious with her because-

"Oi," She snapped her fingers in front of his face, breaking him out of his brief little wonder trance. She was mere inches away from his face now, her blue eyes staring his down. "Earth to Arlert. Come back to us, Arlert."

"Ah, sorry! Uh, w-what did you say? I'm sorry I kind of...zoned out." Now the blush on his face had more basis in embarrassment.

"I can see that." One corner of her mouth curled up. "I was saying there was a genuine purpose to all this. I'd kind of like to get to that."

"Oh, yeah of course! Fill me in."

She took a deep breath, biting her lower lip. "I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me. We can be honest with each other, can't we?"

Armin gulped, and felt his heart speed up again. "Of course. You're my friend Annie, you can trust me with anything."

"Alright," Inches turned to centimeters, and he could feel her breath. The temptation to take another peak inside her head grew stronger and stronger the more she stared him down. "Then tell me this. Why didn't you tell me you were a mutant?"

Oh.

He backed up a bit, releasing a long held in breath. "Annie...," he began, still keeping eye contact. "How did you-"

"It's not hard to figure out after yesterday."

"But why are you-"

"I'm curious as to why I'm only figuring this out now."

"Well I just thought-"

"That I wouldn't like you anymore?" She almost looked offended by his indirect accusation. "That's a stupid thought to have. I thought you were a genius."

He furrowed his brow. "Can you blame me? Annie I don't think you even understand-"

"Of course I understand."

"How could you possibly-"

"I'm a mutant, too."

"Huh?" They stared at each other for another moment. Annie had a grin on her face that was small, but dripping with a sense of accomplishment. Armin, on the other hand, looked completely dumbfounded. "I...really? You're serious?"

"Would I lie about something like that?"

Armin processed it all, and his face lit up. "Well then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Annie turned her eyes down. "I just didn't think it was that important."

He didn't have to look inside her head to know she was lying. Oh well. He decided to give her pride that one win for now. "I...I really have no words, I'm kind of stupidly excited right now, hheh." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled with a red face. "I mean I never would have guessed..."

"Good." She grinned, and pushed her bangs behind her ears. _Now if you can stop being such an adorable dork for a second we can talk more._

Armin heard that. It took all his will power to look back up at her and not smile like an idiot. Adorable dork. He could live with that. "S-so please, tell me Annie, what can you do? I'm sure it's amazing-"

"No."

"No?"

"I'll only show you mine if you show me yours first."

* * *

><p>When Mikasa was called down to the gym, she didn't know what to expect. There was no reason for her to be in trouble, and that class had long passed. So when she was pulled into a closet by a short man in a suit, to say the least, she wasn't pleased.<p>

A silence filled the room as Mikasa began to scowl at the man in front of her. This guy pulled her out of class, separated her from her friends, and refused to let her go back until she answered his completely ridiculous and invasive questions.

What's worse, he refused to take his sunglasses off in the dimly lit janitors closet. Oh yeah, and the fact that they were in a janitors closet to begin with was bad enough.

"Okay kid, I really don't have all day." He mocked a yawn as he shifted around as best as he could in that tiny space. "And stop glaring at me, your face will stick like that."

Her glare didn't soften in the least. "You're nuts if you think I'd just hand him over to you like that. I've told you that three times now."

"Yeah,but, you see, I'm trying to cut out the force aspect of this as much as possible. You do realize if we wanted to, we could just take him behind your back and make it seem like nothing happened? We could do it so fast it could make your head spin."

"Are you threatening me?" Her fists started to clench, and she was just about ready to punch him through the wall and get back to class.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Technically speaking, I wasn't sent here to threaten you. My mission was a simple interrogation, and maybe seizing the opportunity to take the kid into custody. Unfortunately, from what we've observed, you would never let that happen, would you?" He crossed his arms, and gave her as stern a look as he could through his sunglasses.

"Have you been stalking us?"

"Stalking is a strong word, Ms. Ackerman. Surveillance, as simple as that. Your friend is dangerous, and more to the point, what ever is in that blood of his could help us find someone who's very tricky to catch."

"So you want to experiment on him? You're not putting a finger on Eren."

The man sighed, and straightened up again. "Listen, kid. Your friend is in more fucking danger left alone then he would be with us. What you need to get through your thick head is that we, as an agency that combats these kinds of advanced threats, are only here to help."

"You've wasted enough of my time, shorty. I need to get back to class, and get back to him. Thank you for making it obvious to me that he isn't safe. Now, are you going to let me out of this closet, or are you going to make me force my way out?" Mikasa cracked her knuckles and moved towards the door.

The man put his hands up in defeat. "Go, I'm not stopping you. The doors not even locked. Just know that anything that happens to him is on your pretty little shoulders."

Mikasa was out of there without a second thought, and glanced up at the clock. Eighth period, perfect. If there was one thing she knew after that, she knew she had to get back to him, and be on guard more then she ever had.

The man stayed back in the closet for a few minutes, mulling over that spectacular failure of a confrontation. He slipped a black device out of his suit pocket and sighed as he tapped out a number. "Hey, Smith? It's Levi. Xena Warrior Princess refused to budge. Nope, not a word. We may need to try a different approach to this."

* * *

><p>"So if someone was about to shoot you, could the bullet just pass through you without hurting you in anyway?!"<p>

"I guess if I saw it coming! I wouldn't exactly like to find out."

"Okay okay, what if you punched some one through the head, yeah? Could you like...unphase while you were in there and kill them?"

"I've never tried it, but I'm sure it would be disgusting."

Sasha smiled, and offered Marco some of her popcorn. "What about you, Eren? Say...oh! Say someone came up and chopped off your hand! Would it grow back?"

Eren visibly winced at the thought. "I don't know, why are you asking me? Are you planning on cutting off my hand?"

"And what if I am?" She teased, throwing a piece of popcorn at his head. Eren grinned, and caught it in his mouth. "Hmm, okay...Mikasa, you next! If a car were to crash into you, would you leave an indent?"

Mikasa seemed to be too focused on a singular spot on the sidewalk to pay attention. Eren tapped her on the shoulder and she gave a slight jump. "Oh, y-yeah that's happened..."

Sasha looked at her wide eyed as she stuffed a handful of the snack into her mouth. "Really?! Wow, I feel sorry for whoever was driving that car!"

"Actually it was a truck, and the poor dude almost had a heart attack." Eren laughed at the memory along with Sasha, before his smile faltered at the sight of Mikasa once again looking distant. He shoved through Sasha and Marco and made his way back over to her.

Meanwhile, Jean was tapping his foot as he kept a look out for the bus. "Marco, isn't it usually here by now? Maybe we should have just taken the train."

"Nah, the train's crowded and smells." Connie appeared behind Jean and startled him, causing Jean to drop the bottle of soda he had in his hands.

"Dammit Connie, why do you only do that to me?!" He picked up the bottle, and was met with a cackling Springer as a response.

"You make it way too easy man, and Sasha's practically immune to it at this point." With the great intangible Marco as a best friend, and speed demon flash-stepper Connie as another, Jean knew it was his duty to be constantly vigilant. Sometimes, that constant vigilance just wasn't enough.

"Connie! Did you bring my pretzels?" Sasha scampered over to him, her pony tale bouncing up and down with each step. She gave him a kiss on the top of his closely shaved head and slumped over his shoulders.

"So are those two like...a thing or something?" Eren asked as he came back to Marco's side.

"Oh yeah. Well, they've never came out and said it, but man is it obvious." Marco laughed before taking out his phone and checking the time. "Try asking either of them about it and they'll just quickly change the subject."

"Heh, sounds like someone I know." It was then that Eren remembered Armin, and his amazing ability to call in sick for the rest of the day and go home early with no explanation. First, Mikasa disappears and comes back more distant then usual. Then, Armin runs off to meet someone without even telling him, then texts Eren telling him he was going home sick. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or concerned for either of them, but he settled on the latter. "So, uh, what can Sasha do anyway?"

"Oh, she's not a mutant!" Eren cocked an eyebrow as Marco nodded his head. "She hangs out with us because she's our friend! Simple as that. She's pretty amazing in her own right though, don't get me wrong."

Eren didn't ask further, and slumped back in his seat. In front of him, Jean looked out for the bus while Sasha and Connie messed around next to him. Mikasa stood to his left and played with the ends of her scarf. He was going to get something out of her, and he was determined to do it the moment they got home.

When their bus back to Brooklyn finally came, Jean sped on before anyone else. Connie and Sasha trotted on after, taking their seats in the back while Marco took his place next to Jean. Mikasa and Eren were the last to come on, and they grabbed the seats in front of Jean and Marco.

"So how come we never see you guys in the morning if we're from around the same neighborhood?" Marco asked, poking his face in between the two. Jean was already in the process of putting his ipod on in one ear, and listening in the other.

"We usually take the train." Eren shrugged, and turned to face him. "It's just easier for us. Also, our uncle's in the NYPD, so sometimes he gives us rides in his squad car."

The rest of the ride went like that. Marco and Eren made small talk, Jean tried not to fall asleep, and Mikasa stared out the window at the busy city scene. Occasionally Connie and Sasha would call up to Jean, but he soon got tired of it. As the bus came to their stop, all six of them hopped off and stretched.

"We'll see you guys later!" Sasha called out as she laced her fingers with Connie's and made their way down the opposite street. Everyone waved back, though Connie could have sworn he saw Jean flip them off. He whispered something into Sasha's ear, and they laughed as they disappeared down the street. Mikasa and Eren quickly took off in the other direction.

It took Jean a moment to realize that Marco had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face. It was apparently infectious, as it put a smile on Jean's face as well. "What's got you so giddy?"

"H-Huh? Oh, nothing it's just...today was a good day. You listened to me." The two started to walk towards their street, and the vibe between them was nothing short of positive.

"Of course I listened to you! When don't I listen to you?" Jean crossed his arms and huffed as they stopped at a cross walk.

"I'm not going to answer that." He laughed, and flicked Jean's shoulder. "Really though, I'm beyond relieved at how well you and Eren got along today. I told you you could do it!"

"I didn't doubt you..." Jean gave him a reluctant smirk as they continued to walk towards their respective homes. "He's not that bad, I guess..."

Marco put an arm around him and squeezed. "And I'm sure he thinks the same of you."

* * *

><p>"...Do you need a moment to prepare or something?" A silence settled in the girls locker room after Annie made her bargain; "I'll only show you mine if you show me yours first."<p>

The two sat back against the tiled wall, and Armin took a deep breath. "Annie, do you trust me?"

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow and shrugged. "I guess so. I've never had a reason not to, have I? Why do you ask?"

"Heh, no reason..." He shifted and sat on his knees, facing her. She quickly followed in his movements and the two were face to face up close once again. "To show you, I first have to ask you to do something very personal and very important."

"Alright, shoot."

"Think of a number between 1 and 10."

"You've really crossed a line with that request." She smirked, and closed her eyes for a moment for dramatic effect. "Alright. Now tell me the point of all of this."

Armin smiled, and put both his hands on her temples. Really, he didn't have to do this, but the temptation and opportunity was already there.

"A bit touchy, don't you think?" Annie glanced up at him, and the smile on his face only served to make her suspicious.

_You don't mind all that much, since you think my hands are so soft and all. Annie jumped and backed up, looking at him with a mix of wide eyed shock and a scowl. I do put lotion on them every day, by the way. They get dry really fast in this weather._

"What the hell-" She took a quick glance around the room before settling on his grinning face again. He took one of her hands in his and started to snicker.

"I don't see where you get the idea they're like sandpaper, your hands feel fine." She tore it away from him, and he couldn't help but laugh a little more. Both their faces turned red for different reasons. "You were thinking of the number 4 by the way. It was the first number to come to mind since you just found out it was your class ranking, right? Pretty amazing, considering all the classes you've skipped. N-no offense..."

Annie's mouth was agape, and she didn't know whether to slap him or question him further. Or possibly both. "...Lucky guess."

_Heh, yeah I've been told I would make a good magician._

_Stop that._ A corner of her mouth turned up, and she gave him a small push.

_I'm not in too deep, don't worry! Although if you're really that hungry you shouldn't have skipped lunch today._

"I get it, you're a telepath." She smirked, and flicked his forehead. He let out a yelp and rubbed the new red spot. "Maybe I should have guessed that one. It explains why you're such a supposed genius."

"You think I cheat in class? Oh no, I try not to go into other peoples heads without permission unless I absolutely have to. Sometimes I slip, but...recently that's been few and far in between, I swear!"

"What does it take to make you slip?" Annie sat back against the wall and crossed her legs. Armin soon followed, and he had a look of genuine enthusiasm as he began to explain to her how long it took him to get it under control, and how sometimes a simple hand touch could cause him to learn someones entire history if he wasn't careful, or if he let his guard down. He told her about how he first discovered his mutation during a math test in fourth grade and how it used to give him massive headaches when he was in a crowd. He laughed as he explained to her his somewhat recent discovery of tapping into peoples memories, and how Mikasa was his poor victim during that fiasco. When Annie asked what exactly that memory was, he swore on his life he wasn't allowed to tell.

"Those two always end up my unintentional guinea pigs if I happen to discover something new. I found out I could transfer my thoughts when Eren heard me ask him for a pencil from across a class room. Really, it's more trouble then it's worth sometimes." He sighed, and started fidgeting with the end of his shirt. "It's kind of why I asked if you trust me."

"I figured." She gave him a slightly reassuring look and shrugged. "I trust you more then most."

"Is trust a common issue with you?" Armin slumped forward and leaned against his palm.

"You could figure that one out easily, I think." He sensed she was joking around and smiled at her. "Anything else I should know?"

"N-Nothing important..." Telling by the almost worried look on his face, she didn't question any further. "But enough about me Annie, what about you? I want to see what you can do."

"Alright..." She huffed, and stood up. After taking a quick stretch, she extended a hand to help him up as well. She placed him at an arms length away from her and took a deep breath. "I'm going to need you to close your eyes."

He immediately complied and shut them tight, bouncing a bit on his heals as he waited for whatever it was she was about to show him. He smiled more as the excitement grew. Really, he loved getting to know new things about her. Especially since she was usually notoriously closed off. There was a small wooshing sound, and Annie cleared her throat. "You can open up now."

Armin went wide eyed as soon as his eye lids lifted, and his face lit up. "Annie...that's incredible!"

It was hard to discern her facial expression beneath her new crystalline form, but he could swear she was grinning just a bit. Head to toe, even her hair, her entire body was transformed into a hard, blue crystal like substance. He was about to go touch her, but looked up for approval first. When she gave it an okay and extended her arm, he quickly took her hand and looked it over.

"You discovered yours in fourth grade. I've had this for as long as I can remember." She pulled her hand back and rubbed her wrist with a sigh. "It's easy enough to hide, at least. I think most people would be more then a little freaked out to see a woman made of whatever this is walking around."

"It's absolutely amazing! You're amazing. I mean, what you can do and everything..." He flushed pink, and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's..."

"Amazing? I think you've made your point." She crossed her arms and changed back right in front of him. He was still looking at her with wonder, and she was tempted to literally snap him out of it again.

"Do you feel the need to hide it, Annie?" He questioned, after he pulled himself back to reality.

"Yes. And no. It's an issue I'd rather not concern myself with. People bother me less like this, plain and simple."

"Ah," He nodded, and crossed his arms. Armin simply dropped it, figuring she wouldn't care much for his own personal reasons for trying to stay under the radar. He smiled at her again, and glanced up at the clock. "You've officially kept me through half of calculus. I don't think I have to check to see if you're feeling proud of yourself for breaking my honor student spirit."

"I'm a little proud, yes." She bent over and grabbed her backpack slinging it over her shoulder as he did the same. "You told me you'd stay with me for the entire period, though, didn't you?"

"Oh jeez, Annie, it's not over yet, and you already told me everything you wanted to, so-"

"So you really don't like hanging out with me, Arlert? You can be honest, I'm a tough girl."

"What? No, I love hanging out with you! I'd hang out with you for the rest of the day If I could, but-"

"There you go, it's settled then. Get your bag, it's getting stuffy in this room." She stretched and cracked her knuckles as she began to walk toward the back door, which led out to the gym.

"D-Don't twist my words!" He grabbed his bag and followed her anyway. "I really can't make a habit of this you know! What would we even do for the rest of the day, mindlessly walk around the city?"

"We could. Or, you could read my mind and see what I want to do." Annie leaned against the doorway and glanced right into his eyes, her normal bored expression once again plastered on her face.

He huffed and rolled his eyes before meeting her gaze and concentrating. It didn't take long for Armin's face to turn scarlet. "You want me to-"

"Ssshhhhh," She tapped her temple with her index finger. I can hear people coming down the hall, so move quick.

_Y-You want me to take you out to lunch?_ He rushed on over to meet her at the door, and the two made their way out of the gym and out the school building.

_You heard it yourself, I'm hungry. Plus there's a Subway a couple blocks down. Believe me, we're going to miss nothing._ She tugged him down the sidewalk and passed the parking lot where no one could spot them as they made their escape.

He chuckled, and walked beside her when the coast was clear. "Okay, if you say so. I have no objections!" His smile was bright as they walked practically shoulder to shoulder. The temptation to grab her hand, or at least link arms, was growing. "But you know, if this whole thing was just a ruse for me to take you to lunch..."

She flashed him a small grin, and bumped her shoulder to his. Armin could swear her face was pink. "Don't push your luck, tiger."

* * *

><p>The walk home from the bus stop seemed almost agonizingly slow to Eren, who wasn't used to so much silence between them. Sure, Mikasa was a quiet person. She came off as aloof and even somewhat intimidating, be he knew her well enough to know other wise. He also knew how stubborn she could be, and he was prepared to break through that stubbornness if he needed to.<p>

Luckily for him, he didn't have to break the silence.

"Eren, do you really feel safe?" She kept her stare forward and her arms crossed. Eren stopped and looked at her for moment.

"Why wouldn't I feel safe?"

"...no reason." She took an audible gulp before speaking again. "A place like New York City just doesn't seem like the best place for dealing with your...issues."

His eyebrows immediately furrowed. "Well it's not like we had anywhere else to go! Am I really that uncontrollable to you?"

She didn't speak up. "...Is that what you're so distant over today? Dammit Mikasa, we're not eight years old anymore!" He huffed, and began to walk in front of her. The more he thought about, the more frustrated he got. "I'm not a child."

"You're acting like a child right now."

"Because you're looking down on me like one!" Mikasa stopped, and he seemed to walk faster.

"I'm just concerned-"

"Well stop! Stop it, I don't need you to baby me all the time! You have no reason to be so constantly concerned, you're not my-"

"I think I have every reason to be concerned!" She finally snapped back, her tone low but stern. Eren turned to retort and had a finger up to her face, but stopped the moment he saw the look in her eyes. It took him a moment to realize what that look was. It was fear.

"I...I know you do. Goddamn..." He took a deep breath and lowered his arm. "I just...please, Mika. You just care, I understand, but trust me every once in a while. I get it, I know what happens when I let my emotions run too high, believe me I know it better then anyone else. You've only witnessed it, y-you've never lived it." He took another deep, shaky breath and gulped. "Just please, cool it every now in then. I'm trying."

"I know you are." Mikasa sighed, and began to walk by his side again. They could see the house they lived in with Armin and their (honorary) uncle just a few feet away. A silence settled between the two again, but much to both of their relief it was far less agonizing. I just can't stand the thought of losing you to anyone.

Eren stopped in his tracks just as they were about to walk up to the front door. "Mikasa...are you seeing those lights upstairs?"

"Armin's home, it could just be him." Her face was buried in her scarf, and she was about to open the door when Eren tugged on her arm and pointed up.

"Those...those are flashlights, though." They looked at each other for a moment, before Eren promptly opened the door and bolted upstairs, completely ignoring Mikasa's protests that they should be a bit more sneaky.

She rolled her eyes and followed him, figuring he'd probably get hurt if he faced a couple of home intruders alone. Eren panicked for a moment when he realized the source of the light was from his own bedroom. Mikasa tried to hold him back, but he practically knocked the door right down.

"WHO THE HELL ARE- you?" The room was completely dark.

Mikasa pushed him back, and went for the light switch. "They could have easily gotten out if they heard you coming, you know." She sighed, and flicked the switch. The two went silent. Now, Eren could have sworn his room was a complete mess when he left. He was a teenage boy, after all. A messy room was almost common place.

What he came back to was a spotless ghost of his own bedroom. The bed was made, the floor looked vacuumed, and the clothes were folded. There were no longer empty glasses or soda cans, and the controllers on his PlayStation were even neatly rolled up. The only thing out of place was that his closet was opened and seemed to be torn through.

"...What the fuck."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I already have four chapters up on AO3, so I figured I upload them once a week starting with this chapter and then start updating it side by side with AO3?**

**Any way, thanks for reading and thank you for the positive feedback it's gotten on here so far! So thank you for that! Enjoy! **


	3. Talk to me I love hearing your voice

**To: Armin**

**Hey. If you're not awake I might just keep sending you texts until the annoying buzz from your phone inevitably does the job.**

Annie turned over in her bed and smirked to herself. The silence that filled the room seemed almost agonizing as she waited for his reply. Well, as much of a silence that there could be in a city like New York.

**To: Armin**

**Well here I am again, living up to my promise. You know, despite the light pollution, the stars are fairly visible tonight.**

She huffed, and half heartedly played a round of solitaire on her phone before the impatience got the better of her once again.

**To: Armin**

**Wee Woo Wee Woo, hello blondie. Something is telling me you're a heavy sleeper.**

Reluctantly, she shoved her phone under her pillow and sighed. Sleep was barely on her mind, and she knew an attempt to do so would just end up in frustration. Steadily, the streets became more and more silent as cars ceased to pass by.

This wasn't new. In truth, she'd been texting him every night till they both fell asleep for the past month and a half, even before their little rendezvous in the girls locker room. The only thing that was new were the hours, and new found shared struggle. Until recently, it seemed text was the only way the two could get a word out on their own. And for Annie, that wasn't even moderately close to enough.

The growing silence did nothing to help the somewhat suffocating atmosphere her room had begun to take on. Her luck seemed to change, as she felt her phone vibrate under her head.

To her own slight embarrassment, she eagerly slipped it out from under her pillow and opened the lock screen, greeted by just the name she wanted to see.

**From: Armin**

**safkjhjkfdsfdskjfhdskfh ←- Me trying to type after being awoken at 3am :P**

**To: Armin**

**Hmmmm, you seem to have typed that second part just fine.**

**From: Armin**

**Hehe :) What's up?**

Annie propped herself up on her elbow and ran her fingers through her hair.

**To: Armin**

**Nothing much. I couldn't sleep.**

**From: Armin**

**Again? :o What's on your mind? If you don't mind me asking.**

She flipped over on her back, biting her lip as she typed out her reply.

**To: Armin**

**I don't mind. but I believe you have the ability to find out on your own?**

**From: Armin**

**I think I'm a little far away for that, Annie... I'm sorry.**

**To: Armin**

**No need to apologize tiger, I was kidding anyway. There is one solution to that, of course.**

**From: Armin**

**Oh? :o Do tell. :)**

As obvious as she knew his reaction would be, she chuckled a bit as she typed her reply.

**To: Armin**

**You have a window. Sneak out and come see me.**

**From: Armin**

***gasp* :0 Annie, you are a terrible influence.**

**To: Armin**

**Ohohohoho, and you're so much better? :p**

**From: Armin**

**Annie, I can't make a habit out of texting you at 3 in the morning as it is.**

She grinned, and rolled her eyes.

**To: Armin**

**You said the same thing about skipping class to take me to lunch. Arlert, you bad influence you. making**

**me skip class too, all so you can go on a date with me.**

**From: Armin**

**Hmmmmm touche. Although most of the time it's your idea, so who's the one who's eager for a date, Leonhardt? ;P**

She stared at her phone for a moment, and ignored the rising heat on her cheeks. Finally, she gave in and simply pressed call. The drowsy voice on the other end yawned before speaking. "Dr. Arlert's over-the-phone 24 hour therapy, how may I help you?"

The sound of his voice soothed her, despite the tired and slightly sarcastic tone it currently took on. "Hello doctor, I have this friend who refuses to break the law and sneak out for me."

"Ah, what a stick in the mud." She could hear his light laughter, and damn was it contagious. Not to mention, well, adorable. "Can you tell me what's wrong now?"

"Not until we're face to face." She could also practically hear his disappointment. If that's what it was.

"Annie, I'm sorry. I can't just sneak out of my house and take a bus to yours at 3am. I'd love to talk to you till you fall asleep, but I'll have to wait till more reasonable hours to see you." He sighed, and she heard him shuffle around. "I'd do anything, but I simply can't do that."

"Booooooo." She got up from her bed and walked towards her window, pulling up her desk chair in the process. "...what if I told you it would be worth it? Ah, if only you were here to see the little eyebrow wiggle I just did."

She could hear him laugh again, but damn was there an edge of nervousness in it. Just as expected. "Oh? What would be in for me, Annie?"

"I'm not telling you. You'll have to come and see."

"Your manipulations are endless, aren't they?" He sighed, but it was clear to her it was all in good fun. "Well, Eren is a heavy sleeper…"

"I'm listening."

"And Mikasa would just make sure I had my phone on me and I called when I got there…"

"Keep going."

"And Uncle Hannes is currently on call at the station…"

"I'm liking this."

"...And yet I can't help but feel like this would be a stupid idea. I just don't understand why it can't wait till the morning."

"You wound me, tiger." She bit her lip and leaned back in her chair. There was a moment where she almost leaned back too far, but she managed to catch herself.

"At least give me some kind of an indication?"

She sighed, and figured swallowing her pride for this situation may be for the better. "You know that little apparent 'break in' you guys had a couple weeks ago?"

"Eren brings it up every chance he gets. Hannes doesn't believe him."

"Do you believe him?"

"Of course I do. I mean, besides the obvious fact that he's my best friend. I can tap into memories, remember?"

"I remember well." Annie yawned, and moved towards her window. "I'm getting awfully close to a living lie detector. Maybe I should be more cautious."

He laughed again, and she smiled. "Why, how much do you have to hide from me, ma'am?"

"Well, wouldn't you like to know- Ah-" It took her eyes a moment to adjust . She rubbed her eyes, and it finally started to sink in that someone had turned on her room light. Glancing over to the doorway, her father stood with a less than pleased look on his face.

"Ann, it's 3:30 in the fucking morning, who the hell are you on the phone with?" He leaned against her doorway and crossed his arms. His scowl was hard but tired, and Annie immediately covered the receiver of her phone.

"Uh," She swallowed the lump in her throat, and slowly stepped towards her bed once more. The floorboards creaked relentlessly beneath her, and each creak made her heart beat faster and faster.

Leaving no room for any excuses he grabbed the phone from her hand and put it up to his ear. "Annie says goodnight." He pressed end call and tossed the phone next to her on the bed. "You have a match today, what the hell are you thinking?"

"...Sorry." Her brows were furrowed, eyes downcast, as she slid under the covers and grabbed her phone. The tension caused by the glare she knew was resting on her made it hard to breath for a moment.

"Whatever, just go to sleep. If I hear you again, your phones mine for a week, got it? Goddamn…" She could hear him curse down the hall as he walked away. The floor of their apartment seemed especially creaky as he got further away. When the creaking stopped, she took a deep breath and opened her phone back up.

**To: Armin**

**Sorry.**

**From: Armin**

**He sounds pleasant :/**

**To: Armin**

**Oh, you have no idea.**

**From: Armin**

**Well now I definitely think sneaking over there would be a terrible idea.**

Annie sighed, and rubbed her eyes. In truth, she would love nothing more than to just skip on that match. What would it matter anyway? To her, it meant nothing at all. At least compared to anything happening around them. Crossing her father, on the other hand, was a one time deal.

**To: Armin**

**Come at noon.**

* * *

><p>The light was practically blinding as it hit Jean's happily sleeping face. He scrunched his brow before finally opening his eyes, the look on his face reading nothing short of dread and confusion, as any teenager feels at wakey wakey time. Jean scanned the room as his eyes adjusted, the first thing coming to his attention being the giant Spider-Man poster hanging opposite of his bed. Of course, poster meaning a collage of newspaper clippings he had spent an entire Christmas break shamelessly putting together and building up. Hey, we all have our forms of hero worship.<p>

Next, he searched and found his alarm clock, reading the far-too-early-for-a-Saturday time of 9:30 a.m. He groaned, and rolled over on his stomach. Rolling over was particularly difficult that morning, as the strong arms hugging around him refused to make much leeway for it. The fact that the arms were there to begin with were enough of a start to wake him up.

"What the- Marco?!" Jean shot up and stared down at the mess of black hair before him, which was neatly snuggled away in his pillow. "What are- wake up! ...MARCO!"

"Huh?! Oof!" Jean screamed his name right in his ear, causing Marco to jump, and gracefully phase through Jean's bed. The thud he made when he landed on the floor was almost impressive.

"Marco...what are you doing in my bed? Also, are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine, eugh...Damn, maybe think about cleaning down here every so often, heh…" Marco crawled out from under Jean's bed and winced as he stood up. Obviously, he had taken a hard smack to the side of the face, telling by the red welt that graced his cheek. He was greeted by Jean's somewhat confused and somewhat flushed face. Really, it was hard to tell which was stronger.

"Fair enough, but...What were you doing in my bed?"

"Oh please Jean, this isn't the first time this has happened." Marco chuckled, and ruffled Jean's bedhead as he sat next to him. "We must have passed out while we were trying to study."

"Ugh, studying on a Friday night was a dumb idea anyway-"

"Jean! What was that?"

Jean was startled by the sound of his mother's voice calling from the downstairs kitchen. "Uh- Shit, nothing ma, I'll be down in a sec!"

"Alright sweetie, hurry your butt down here, I've got breakfast cooking!"

Marco bit his lip to hold down his laughing, earning a scowl from his still very tired companion. "May I stay for breakfast at least?"

"...As if I wasn't going to offer any way. I smell bacon cooking."

"Jean Kirschtein, you know the way to my heart." He smiled at him before they both hopped up and trotted down stairs. The air filled with the smell of pancakes and syrup, not to mention the oh so savory, greasy scent of bacon sizzling on the skillet.

"_Saturday May 10th, 2014, we have some great weather incoming after a surprisingly freezing past couple of weeks. Commuters may hit a couple of slow downs on the Palisades Parkway this morning-_" His mother listened intently to the radio as she poured pancake batter onto the skillet. Jean snuck up behind her to kiss her cheek, giving her a nice startle in the process.

She slapped his hand away as he reached for a piece of bacon. "Morning sweetie. And...morning Marco?"

"Morning Pam!" Marco grabbed a piece of bacon without any repercussions and took his seat at the kitchen island. Jean's mother smiled at him.

"Fall asleep snuggling my son again?"

"Of course! He's very soft." The two talked like old friends, which always caused Jean annoyance and mild discomfort.

"Well I'm just glad someone's willing to snuggle him, he really needs it sometimes." She squished Jean's rather red cheeks and examined his eye. "Tch. Three weeks and it's finally about healed up. I hope they suspended whoever did this to you, it's unacceptable."

"Haha, y-yeah I sure do hope so too." Jean gave Marco a pleading look. Don't say a word. Marco simply nodded his head and took a sip of orange juice. There was a silence between the three as the only voices that could be heard were those of the radio.

"_Senator Reiss, from New York, is due to make a speech at the anti-mutant rally on Capitol Hill later this afternoon. A few speculate that his address may include-_" Jean nearly punched the radio off, earning a concerned and somewhat annoyed look from his mother.

"That guy's so fucking skeezy I honestly could not give a fuck about what he has to say on a subject that barely concerns his ass." Jean went and sat next to Marco, who stared at him with wide eyes.

His mother looked far less impressed. "Jean Kirschtein, you watch that mouth of yours. Some people were listening to that, you know."

"Why would you want to listen to that crap?"

She rolled her eyes at him while she slipped two pancakes on a plate and handed it to him. "It would do good for you to keep up on current events, you know. Give those to Marco."

"Believe me, I'm keeping up with this one just fine…" He mumbled as he slid the plate over to a slightly uncomfortable Marco. If there's one feeling poor Marco Bodt was very familiar with, it was being in the middle of an argument between a friend and their parent. "Were it up to that asshole, we- they'd all be wearing shock collars and brands."

"You don't know that, Jean." She slipped Jean a plate of his own, which he pointedly ignored.

Marco chimed in. "Well...He has apparently been pushing for registration. I mean it would be unfair to force people to expose themselves...Not to mention that cure he mentioned-"

"Which in all honesty might not be an entirely bad thing." Marco and Jean both looked up at her with stunned expressions.

"...Okay, let's just drop the subject." Jean pushed his plate away and sighed. "Think whatever you want mom, just don't expect me to agree." He hopped up from his seat and headed towards the stairs. "I'm not hungry. Me and Marco were just heading into the city, actually."

"We are?" Jean shot him a look, and Marco quickly relented. "We are!" Marco scarfed down his pancakes and juice and hopped up from his chair. His mouth was still full as he spoke. "I guess I'll just, uh, run over to my house real quick to change, brush my teeth, all that fun stuff! Thank your for breakfast, Mrs. K!"

Marco trotted towards the front door, and left after telling Jean he'd meet him outside in fifteen minutes.

"I'm sorry if I upset you at all, dear." His mother sighed, and took their plates off the island. "You know I'm just thinking of your safety. I'm a nurse, I see a lot different types of injuries and accidents, and you'd be surprised by how many are caused by-"

"Jesus, I get it!" Jean snapped back at her. Their eyes met for a moment, and the flash of concern and hurt in his mother's gaze was unmistakable. His chest ached, but he didn't feel like apologizing. He ran up the stairs, muttering a quick "I'll see you later."

Marco was bouncing on his heels outside, his hands stuffed into the pocket of his over-sized hoodie. He waved Jean over, and the two made their way down to the bus stop. The walk was silent, but surprisingly pleasant for the most part. The bus stop came into view, and much to Jean's happiness, it was mostly empty, save for a bespectacled young woman who was far too ingrained in her reading to be paying attention to anything else, and a suited young man by her side who was restlessly playing with his Iphone. The boys leaned against the box as Jean began to speak in a hushed tone.

"How did your mom react? When she found out. I get that your dad threw a shit fit, but your mom was cool with it, right?" Jean crossed his arms and took a deep breath.

"Of course she was." Marco bit his lip, and put an arm around Jean's shoulder. "Take your time, Jean. No one's going to make you tell your parents if you don't want to. At least I wont."

Jean smiled at him. "Thanks. I just wonder if she'd take it back. Everything she implied at breakfast, do you think she'd take it back if she knew?"

Marco shrugged. "Who knows. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Just don't think about it, okay? We'll have a good day today."

"Yeah, we will." Jean laughed, and scratched the back of his neck.

"...If I sneak you into a Yankees game later, will it make up for breakfast?"

"That would be awesome. Except they're in Milwaukee today."

"Well, you can't say I didn't try." Marco chuckled, and quickly checked the bus schedule. They had about a 15 minute wait until their ride Manhattan would arrive. "You know, I'm still kind of shocked that she believed your little black eye fib."

"Hey, me and Eren just became friends. Name dropping him would be kind of low, don't you think?" Jean cracked his knuckles, and took a quick glance down the street. "I'm a master of deception, Marco. Don't you forget that."

"Oh, you are simply a genius." Marco nudged his shoulder, a wide smile growing on his face. "And just be thankful Eren didn't name drop you-"

"Eren Jaeger?!"

They froze. Jean glanced at Marco, who returned his confused gaze. Slowly, they turned their heads, only to be staring into the face of the bespectacled woman who was sitting down just moments ago. Marco took a gulp, and spoke up.

"Uh, y-yes ma'am. May I ask who-"

"You know Eren Jaeger?" The smile on her face widened, and Jean was more than a little put off by crazed look in her eyes.

"Uh, Professor, maybe you shouldn't get so up close and-"

"Moblit, that's the name of the kid Erwin sent us to locate!"

Jean and Marco exchanged baffled glances once again. "Who the fuck is Erwin?" Jean murmured to Marco, who shrugged and stepped back.

"You think they're mutants too, Moblit?" She whispered to the unfortunately worried looking suited man. "Maybe they can help us?"

"It would probably be extremely rude to ask, Professor."

"Hm, you're right…" She tapped her chin for a moment, before turning her attention back to Jean. Jean and Marco looked completely on edge, and ready to run at any moment. The Professor slowly walked up to him, and looked both ways to make sure no one else was around to see. Hey, it seems even she had some sense of privacy. Her and Jean stared each other in the eyes, hers determined and serious, Jean's somewhat mortified. There was complete silence between the four of them. Moblit tapped on the Professors shoulder, but he was completely ignored. The silence built, the tension grew, before, "...BOO."

"Professor!"

"WAH-" Jean was completely stunned, his hands flared up lightly as he blocked his face and fell flat on his ass. Marco quickly rushed to him and helped him up. Jean stuffed his hands in his pocket, and frantically looked around for any onlookers. "W-What the fuck is your problem?"

"Relax kid, I made sure it was safe." Her maniacal smile melted into a much more sincere one as she held her hand out for him to shake. "I would never do anything to risk your safety!"

Jean tentatively took her hand. "S-Sure, but still...what the hell was that for?"

For a moment, the Professor was too busy staring at his hand to answer back. Once again, the look in her eyes set him on edge. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a sample of your DNA…"

Jean tore his hand away. "Aha, uhm, okay. You're obviously out of your mind, and me and my friends bus is here, so we're going to just...bye."

"Wait! Do you mind at least pointing us in the general direction of Eren Jaeger? I'm serious!"

"Put it this way. You're getting warmer." Jean quickly shoved Marco on the bus the moment it arrived and then followed, happy to get away from their rather interesting new friend. As they sat down, they both gazed out the window to see the disappointed looking professor and her beleaguered assistant make there way down the next road.

The two sat back in their seats and stared forward for a moment before turning and staring at each other.

"...Marco, sometimes I really hate this city."

"I hear ya, buddy."

* * *

><p>Her hair fell into her face as she sat up, waiting for the nurse to open her cell and bring her her food. A rehabilitation center. A few low-key experiments. That's what they told her when she woke up in the bright-white room, filled to the brim with boxes and electronics she didn't recognize. A prison. To her, that's what it truly was. And yet after all this time, she was coping.<p>

The news blared on the TV. It was all the same as it was an hour ago. Senator Reiss was to make a speech, everyone was to be enlightened, and some boring shit about the economy she couldn't bring herself to care any less about. Just as it seemed she was about to be bored back to sleep, the door opened, and a familiar nurse stumbled in with her food.

"Helloooooo Nurse Debbie, what's on the menu for today? Do I get the blue pill with that, or the red pill? Or are we shaking things up with a green pill?" She was cackling so hard at her own unfunny joke she fell back in her bed. The nurse simply cracked a smile and nervously put it down on the table. She stared up at the TV for a moment and gulped, before saying goodbye and turning away.

"Wait a minute." The dark haired girl grabbed the nurses wrist. "Not only are you not laughing at my jokes today, Nurse What's-Her-Face, but you haven't given my daily stick-in-the-arm."

"O-Oh, uh…" The nurse took a deep breath, and had trouble finding her words. "S-Somebody else is doing it today."

"Oh really?" She let go of the nurses wrists and sat back, grabbing her tray. "Do you mind sitting with me? Contrary to popular belief, solitary confinement can be a little lonely."

The nurses eyes went wide for a moment, and it looked like she was about to run out of the room. She sat down anyway, and was visibly shaking.

"You sick? you're usually a lot more chipper, especially when it comes to the needles...remember that bet we made on how many vials of my blood they'd need in a month? HA, you still owe me money for that." She took a bite of the sandwich they brought her, and the nurse gave out a forced laugh. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to bolt out of the room.

The dark haired girl turned her attention back to the TV. "This senator Reiss is a real piece of work from the talk I hear around here. I have to say, the world's changed a lot in 60 years, but politicians certainly haven't." She took a sip of her drink and downed the pills that came with it. The nurse gulped and nodded her head.

"...You know," The dark haired girl began, before taking a sip of water. "There's a lot rumors floating around about him. An anti-mutant, pro-humanity crusader such as him is apparently not as squeaky clean as he would have people believe. Shocking, right? A lying politician. They say he cheated on his wife with a young college student multiple times around eighteen years ago."

The nurse started fidgeting with the hem of her scrubs. She could feel the dark haired girls eyes completely stuck on her. "Is that so? uh…"

"Ymir. You should know that. Why do you look so uncomfortable?" Ymir slid her now empty tray towards the nurse, who eagerly took it and got up. "...I heard that affair had a bit of a side effect to it."

The nurse paused. Her back was turned to Ymir, but she could still feel her hard gaze. "Apparently his little mistress had a bun in the oven. Isn't that ironic? As it turns out, a man so adamant on his wholesome image has an illegitimate daughter with a college student. And oh, it gets better."

By now the nurses heavy breathing was audible. Ymir cracked a smile. "That illegitimate daughter of his? He tries so hard to keep her secret for the most obvious of reasons, but apparently there's another." The nurse slowly made her way closer to the door, but stopped again. "Mr. Anti-Mutant crusader's bastard daughter is apparently a mutant herself. The irony burns, does it not?" Ymir let out a laugh, and wiped her now damp eyes.

"...Why are you telling me this, Ymir?" She clutched the tray tight, the utensils rattling under her shaking grip.

"Well, to be honest? I just wanted to know if I got the details right." Ymir smirked, and sat back against the wall. Before her very eyes, the nurse changed.

There was a small shimmer of her skin, and the tall shaking nurse was replaced by a short, shaking blonde girl. The blonde girl slowly turned around and looked Ymir right in her smug eyes.

"You know, I have to say. You look much cuter like this."

"How did you know?"

"I'm not stupid. Plus, gossip may be idle, but sometimes it can be very useful. Especially for people in our situation, no?"

The blonde girl gulped, and set the tray down. "...Please don't tell them I've been down here."

"My lips are sealed. What's your name?"

"...Christa."

"Is that really your name?" Ymir leaned up against her palm.

"It's the name I'm telling you."

"Is that so…" She patted the spot next to her on the bed, and Christa hesitantly made her way over. "Well, Christa. I'm happy to make your acquaintance."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It ain't an X-Men au without sleezy senators, am I right?**


	4. Breath You're Still Alive

A knock at the door. That's how it always started. A knock at the door, a gunshot, then silence. She hid frozen in the kitchen cabinets like she was instructed. Her breathing was slow and drawn out as she tried her best not to make even the smallest of noises.

Another gunshot caused her to jolt. She covered her mouth in a futile attempt to conceal the whimper that was trying desperately to escape. Heavy footsteps approached the kitchen and she curled into herself, tears brimming over her eyes as she tried to mask her sobs. The little girl closed her eyes tight, her cheeks damp with freshly spilled tears.

When her eyes opened, she was no longer crouching in her cabinet, but standing in her front yard with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She breathed in the fresh night air right after a spring rainfall, and looked around. Sirens, bright red and blue lights, police officers rushing in and out of her house with wary faces. Some glanced her way, most chose to keep their distance. One officer came out carrying a baggy with a kitchen knife broken at the handle inside. She recognized it and glanced down at her own hands. Where had that strength come from?

She looked up with a blank expression, and immediately to her right noticed a tall man with dark hair and glasses wearing a suit and carrying what looked to be a heavy briefcase. To her left, a boy about her age, wearing a red scarf, and holding a rage in his eyes more befitting of someone much older. She saw that expression melt into one of genuine understanding and sorrow as he turned to look at her. He certainly looked more his age like that, she thought. He slid his hand into hers and squeezed, tears swelling up at the corner of his eyes. His hands were rough, but she found an odd comfort in them. She found hope. It was then that she noticed she was trembling terribly, and the air became much colder.

Across the lawn, stretchers rolled in and out of the house, blankets covering whatever, or whomever, was on them. The boy said something to her, but it sounded muffled. Slowly, he began to remove the scarf from around his neck and moved closer to her. Before she knew it, it was lazily slung around her neck, and after closing her eyes, she breathed in its strangely familiar scent. She opened her eyes up again just as he was saying something else to her. Much to her disappointment, she couldn't quite catch it before waking up in a cold sweat.

Mikasa shot up in her bed, and took in several heavy breaths as reality finally started to come into her view. She ran her fingers through her hair as she processed her surroundings.

No, she wasn't a scared and confused ten year old girl standing in her damp front yard surrounded by police cars. She was a slightly groggy and confused eighteen year old girl sitting in an uncomfortably silent bedroom surrounded by various pillows and stuffed animals. At least she took some comfort in that fact. She swallowed the lump in her throat and scanned around her room, eyes resting on the red scarf draped over her desk chair. Even in the moonlit room that simple red scarf stood out from everything else. She tentatively stood up from her bed and made her way over to the desk chair, grabbing the scarf and wrapping it around her neck.

After eight years it smelled faintly of dawn fabric softener and fabreeze, but it was still his scent underneath it all. It was him, and it was home.

The air in her room grew suffocating as she stood there for minutes on end. The initial silence was broken by the faint sound of Armin talking on his phone across the hall, which she would have found more than a little curious any other night. Tonight though, all she wanted to do was see Eren and reassure herself that they were actually alright.

As quietly as she could, Mikasa slipped out of her room and tiptoed down the hall. The creaking floor boards would be a concern if it weren't for the fact that Hannes was on the night shift and Armin was apparently wide awake. Eren's door was already opened just a crack, making her job at least a little bit easier. Inside, she could hear him grumbling and turning in his sleep, no doubt throwing around a few sleepy curses. She couldn't help but smile. Mikasa pushed the door open and slipped in, taking a deep breath before quietly making her way over to his bed. He laid on his stomach, and his head was turned to the side so that one could just barely see the stream of drool falling out the corner of his mouth.

"Eren?" She whispered as she sat on his bed and nudged his shoulder. "Eren? ...Eren!"

"H-Huh-what the-who the hell-" His head perked up and he turned to look at her with a somewhat urgent expression, which melted into confusion laced with irritation when he realized the situation. "Mikasa? What the hell are you doing, it's…" He rubbed his tired eyes and found his alarm clock, "It's almost 3:30am, what the hell are you doing up?"

She looked at him for a moment. "I can go back if you want."

"...no, it's okay." He scooted over and made just enough room for them both to fit. Mikasa hesitated for a moment before slipping under the covers with him. "I can't believe you think I wouldn't know when something is up with you after eight years."

"I just...I had a dream. About that night." She curled in close to him.

"I thought so." He turned over on his side to face her and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Eren's own eyes were just about adjusted to the dark so that he could make out small details of her features. He gave her a small grin. "You know I'm not as stupid as you think."

"I've never once thought you were stupid, Eren." She furrowed her brow and curled further into the sheets.

"Hm." Eren decided not to push it further than that. "Do you want to talk about it maybe? I mean, it's cool if you don't. We can talk about anything." He yawned and stretched his arms.

She stayed silent for a moment. The air between them was calm but heavy, and she absolutely reveled in it. Mikasa didn't know what to say. "I just haven't had that dream in a while, that's all…It was unsettling, seeing everyone...my parents, your father..."

The image of the man in a suit kept flashing in her head, telling her over and over that Eren wasn't safe and he was a danger to himself and others. Her brows furrowed at the very thought of that short agents obnoxious sunglasses wearing face. Sure the dream wasn't new to her, but neither were its implications. Mikasa inched in closer to Eren, and took several deep breaths.

The mention of his father put Eren on edge almost immediately. The only thing keeping him from the dangerous path his mind would go down if he kept thinking about him was Mikasa's obvious discomfort and distress.

I refuse to let anything happen to you. You saved me, and I owe you so much more than you'll ever know. The scowl on her face deepened the more she thought. If something, or someone, was really after him, she needed to know who or why. Of course, the why in and of itself wasn't hard to figure out. Eren wasn't normal even by mutant standards, and she realized that. None of that mattered, however. Eren was still Eren no matter what he could do or what was inside him.

The problem was, Mikasa was very much also aware of the fact that her strength and love alone weren't going to protect him forever. And it's likely the cracks were starting to show.

Mikasa was suddenly jolted out of her thoughts when she felt a tickle to the side. "E-Eren!" She giggled out, accompanied by an ever dignified snort. Eren smiled and laughed back at her as he continued to tickle her side. "S-Stop that!"

Eren had a more than satisfied smirk on his face as he took his hands away. "I don't get to hear that laugh anymore."

"And you thought now was an opportune time?" She took deep breaths as her laughter calmed down.

He nodded his head. "You looked angry. I knew you wouldn't tell me anything if I asked. I mean, you came in here to feel better right? So it's my job to make you feel better."

"...I see." Mikasa finally settled down and simply smiled back at him. Her grin was small, but sincere. The two entered into a comfortable silence, and it seemed they were each about to drift back to sleep before Eren spoke again.

"Do you remember my thirteenth birthday party? It was just me you and Armin. Dad stayed home from work to be with us, and mom spent all day baking this chocolate cake from scratch…" A far more solemn smile flashed across his face at the memory of his mother. "We were getting up to eat and you of all people managed to trip over a lamp cord…"

"I accidentally punched a hole in the wall when I tried to stop myself. I remember." Mikasa sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment. "I still think somebody planted that cord there."

"Maybe." Eren's more genuine smile returned. "Actually, you didn't just punch a hole. Your hand got stuck. It took us a half hour to get you out. My mom was mortified!"

They both shared a chuckle at the memory. Mikasa was quick to note his change of expression at the mention of his mother, and debated whether it was worth the pain of bringing it up. After all, it wasn't that long after his thirteenth birthday that her health had started to fail. Then it was soon after his sixteenth that she passed, and soon after that nothing was the same. The memories of the day Eren's other abilities manifested were as clear to her as yesterday. "Eren, are you trying to make a point to me?"

"It's just...I'm frustrated as all hell that you won't tell me what's been bugging you. You've been acting strange since the break in. Stranger than me!" Eren chuckled, and settled back down. His need to drift back into sleep was obvious at that point. "I guess it was to remind you that whatever it is, we've gotten out of a lot tougher shit in the past. And we're a lot stronger than we were. A lot smarter too."

"...That was a lame example to use."

"Hey, I can't help that I'm sleep deprived." Eren yawned, and turned over, leaving her with one last groggy remark. "Just trust me, would you?"

Mikasa was silent. It wasn't long before Eren's breathing became slow and steady, and he was back asleep. She sighed and turned over on her back, resigned to staring at the dark ceiling in silence.

_It's not you I don't trust, Eren._ She thought as her mind drifted to sleep. _It's everyone around you. _

* * *

><p><strong>To: Annie<strong>

**Which floor is yours?**

**From: Annie**

**4th. My room has a lovely view of the alley way. I'll keep my window unlocked for you.**

**To: Annie**

**Well isn't that romantic? :)**

**From: Annie**

**The not-so-romantic alternative would be meeting my dad. If you'd prefer that, go ahead.**

Armin laughed and slipped his phone into his pocket. Standing in front of Annie's brick apartment building, the anxiety started to set in. In truth he didn't know what it was. They'd finally been able to hang out alone outside of school since April, and Annie's presence had almost become a constant in his life. Maybe it was the risk of meeting her rather surly sounding father on the way. Maybe it was the risk of her inviting him there only to tell him bad news.

Or maybe it was the fact that the two of them would be alone in her room. Who knows. In a way, Armin wished he'd just been a little rebellious and snuck out last night. After all, if someone had caught him or questioned him he could have easily just...

He glanced over at the clock hanging on a near by store front; 1:30. Armin took a deep breath before crossing the street and making his way over to the side of the building. Staring down the rickety fire escape, he wished he could have Eren's healing ability. Or at least Marco's phasing. Either of which would make this trek somewhat safer.

The rails were damp from the mornings rainfall, doing nothing to help his nerves. He hopped up twice to get a hold of the ladder and pulled himself up, pained whines escaping him in the process. Armin paused to take several deep breaths once he reached the first platform. Luckily, the stairs on the way up would be kinder to him.

Armin's heart started racing the moment he saw the light out of her fourth floor bedroom. One more flight of the fire escape and he'd be there. He took a deep breath and tried his best to keep the ridiculously stupid grin on his face down. For a moment, he closed his eyes and concentrated. There it was, amongst all the bustle was the distinctive sound of her thoughts, speaking louder than she ever could.

He took his sweet time climbing the last flight, his heart pounding faster with each step. The sound was drowned out only by the passing by cars and his own thoughts. Finally, her window was right there in front of him, unlocked, wide open, ready to climb over, and-

With Annie clearly still in her sports bra and gym shorts getting ready to change standing on the other side of her room. Holy hell wow.

Annie turned to face him, her eyes wide and her cheeks red. "...A knock would have been acceptable too, ya know."

"Wha-AH" His mouth was agape as he gracefully fell through her window face first. Annie tried not to make it obvious she was holding in a laugh, but dang was it hard when he was that cute. Slowly, Armin sat up and covered his beet red face. "Y-You could have said something about the fact you were going to be stripping for me!"

She shook her head with a smirk and turned away again, reaching for a t-shirt and bra that were thrown on her bed. Annie's movements were a bit slow, her limbs sore from that mornings activities. Armin bit his lip and took a very small peak through his fingers, getting a nice view of her bum in those tight gym shorts in the process.

_Oh god, she does have a nice ass._ He thought, covering his face completely again.

Annie's face grew just as red as his. "Someone's a peeping Tom."

Armin squeaked, and buried his face deeper. "P-P-Please don't tell me you heard that!"

"For a supposedly powerful telepath, it doesn't take much to get your powers out of focus does it?" She turned to him with her arms crossed, finally with her t-shirt on, and grinned.

"I-I never said anything about being powerful, oh god…" He peeked out and looked up at Annie, his face completely flushed. The look in his eyes indicated that Armin Arlert was very much dying inside. He was a stuttering mess completely collapsed on the floor of his not-girlfriend's bedroom. Smooth operator, thy name is Armin.

Annie held out her hand. "I'd be willing to help you work on that. One can never be a powerful telepath if he keeps going haywire and transmitting his own thoughts, Armin."

"Another excuse for us to spend more time together?" He smirked and grabbed her hand, hoisting himself up. _You're sneaky, Annie._

_Not really._ She held Armin's hand for just a little longer. _I just can't think of a better way to ask-_

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off by a knock at her bedroom door. "Ann? Are you decent?"

"Shit-" Annie bit her lip and frantically searched around her room. _Get under my bed now._

Armin barely had time to stutter out a response before he was being shoved on the floor and rolled under her bed. Not the view of her room he expected to get that day, but okay. At least her floors weren't cold. The mess under her bed would have to take a while to be forgiven, though.

He peaked out and saw Annie glide across her bedroom floor, kicking aside various objects to get to her door. On the other side was, of course, her father in all his chipper glory. Armin didn't need a peak into his head to know that he would be less than thrilled to meet him.

Her father stepped into the room, and Armin noted that he walked with assistance of a cane and had a very prominent limp. He spoke with a gruff voice that was only slightly less intimidating in person than over the phone. "I heard a thud in here, did you break something?"

"Nope." She peaked to the side to see how well Armin was hidden. Luckily he was barely visible under her bed, and her dad would at least be easy to distract. Maybe. "A couple books fell over. Nothing serious." Annie nervously wrung her hands together as her gaze flitted from her fathers to Armin's hiding space. _Please go, I don't need this right now._

"Must have been an enormous couple 'a books." Her father scanned the room and cracked his knuckles on impulse before looking back at her. "Whatever. You did okay today, Ann." For a moment he smiled at her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "You could do better. Your kicks were shit but you still managed to come out on top, so good job."

"Thanks." Annie mumbled through gritted teeth. It was easy for Armin to sense that she didn't take that as a compliment. _Really, I love hearing this I really fucking do._ "This could have waited till later."

"With all the important things you have to do on a Saturday?" Her father retorted sarcastically.

_Yes, actually. Thanks for that._ Armin almost felt bad for staying in her head at this point.

He leaned on his cane and continued, "Besides, I'm actually here to tell you that I'm leaving for a couple days on business."

Annie and Armin's heads both perked up at the comment. "Business? What do you mean?"

"It means what it means, Ann." He grinned and stood back up straight. "Something's come up, and I'm needed elsewhere."

"That answers absolutely nothing." She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. Whatever the reason was, she was more than happy to have free reign over the house and her own schedule for the weekend.

Armin squinted up at him from his spot under the bed and had to strongly fight the urge to get answers for her himself. He'd only technically spoken to the man once and the vibes he got from him weren't the best. And if there was one thing Armin trusted above all, it was his own instincts. Annie on the other hand dropped the subject.

"I know I can trust you to hold the place down while I'm gone, so don't make me regret that." He patted her head and stepped towards the door before Annie came trotting after him.

"You're leaving now?"

" 'fraid so, it's urgent." He turned around to pat her on the head and give her a light hug. "You don't look too devastated about that."

"What?" It was then that Annie noticed her small grin. She didn't comment on it. "...See you in a couple days then." _Or not._

"Yup." He smiled at her and kissed her forehead before heading out of her room and making his way towards the front door. "Oh, and Ann? Keep your guard up."

Annie didn't question this and simply nodded, waiting for him to close her bedroom door. She waited a couple minutes until she was sure he had left before she would let Armin out of hiding. The footsteps lasted a couple more minutes, then the apartment was silent.

"You can come out now, tiger." She moved to close the window and blinds.

"That was lucky." He chuckled as he crawled out from under her bed and sat against the frame. "Annie, what does your father do?"

"He was a corrections officer, but...wow, that really was lucky." She sat down across from him and smirked as she brushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "Good job keeping quiet."

_Was? He's not anymore?_ "I wasn't aware corrections officers had business trips." He leaned against his palm and smiled back at her. "Thank you! Weeks of talking to you at ungodly hours of the night have been great practice."

For a moment, the two gazed at each other in a comfortable silence. Armin could feel his heart beating out of his chest, and he wondered if Annie's was too. Of course, it figured it could be from the rush and fear from hiding from her dad, but he liked to look at the more positive option. Annie, while certainly enjoying the view, was simply waiting for him to speak up.

He wanted so badly to lean in. After all, they were mere inches away from each other, and the opportunity couldn't have presented itself more perfectly. Armin had been pining after Miss Leonhardt for months, more so, and this was a lot further than he thought it would ever go. He gulped, and concentrated on her eyes. Those piercing icy blue eyes that he loved.

"You're thinking that you want me to talk right now because you're not very good at conversation. Which is, frankly, B.S."

"Can't stay out of my head, can you?" Armin couldn't deny that one. "If you see something you don't like, you only have yourself to blame."

"Understood." He curled his legs into his chest and beamed. His smile slowly faded as he continued to gaze at her and his own thoughts turned to the fact that her father so casually insulted her. From the sound of it, it was a common occurrence. A quick glance around her room, and it was incredibly obvious how accomplished she was. One doesn't collect that many trophies or medals for no reason, after all.

"Hey, Annie?"

"Hm?" She seemed to be in a bit of a daze for a moment, but was quickly snapped out of it.

"Why am I here?"

Annie stared at him. It hadn't occurred to her that there even needed to be a reason until she remembered their conversation the previous night. All she remembered feeling was uneasiness, and she cursed herself for letting it get to her as much as it did. "...Maybe I just wanted to speak to you-"

"Wait." Armin put a finger to her lips and glanced around the room. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated hard. "I hear someone."

"I don't hear anyone."

"I mean, their mind. I can feel someone else's presence in here…" He stood up, followed by a somewhat confused Annie. "There's someone in your apartment."

"It could be my dad. He probably forgot something."

Armin's eyes grew frantic and he shook his head. "It's a woman. No...there's a man too."

Annie's eyebrow knitted. She stood up next to him and tiptoed over to her door, giving Armin a look to let him know to shut up.

_Has someone broken in before? Is that what was bothering you last night?_

Annie looked at him and didn't answer, instead choosing to open the door and peek out. What she certainly didn't anticipate was the pistol being pointed at her.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Armin's breath hitched and his heart was pounding in his chest. His palms were sweaty, and he saw Annie, of all people, shaking. Her eyes went wide as she stared down the barrel, completely unsure of what to do.

She gulped and met Armin's eyes, her breath painfully audible.

_Armin?_

_Y-Yeah?_

_Duck._

Armin obliged, just as Annie swung the door open and grabbed the assailant's wrist. Apparently not in time, as the bang from the gun caused Armin to finally break out of whatever fear induced trance he was in. He covered his ears and looked up, only to see a bullet hole in the wall and Annie going head to head with a small, red headed woman in what appeared to be a black jumpsuit.

With a blow to her side, the woman's grip on the gun loosened, and the weapon went skitting out of the room and into the hall. Annie had her in some sort of choke hold when Armin snuck behind them to try to grab it. He was more than determined to be useful in this situation. A stomp to Annie's foot before she could crystallize, and a bite to her hand, and the woman was free from Annie's grasp. Annie stumbled back into her dresser, causing a picture to fall and shatter on the ground.

She regained her footing and took a stance. Wiping her face, she was pleasantly surprised to see the blood that appeared on her hand. It was unusual for her to be so sloppy in a fight. Yet the remaining fatigue from her match that morning was enough to slow her down. Annie was quick to crystallize before the red headed woman regained enough stamina to come charging at her again. She blocked a left hook, and stumbled back again. Annie was fully prepared to meet her halfway with the next punch before the red headed woman jarringly stopped. Quite literally. She was frozen mid punch. She would be easily mistaken for a statue if she wasn't still breathing.

Annie's eyes widened. She didn't know whether to touch her, push her down, or what. Behind her was the source of it all. Armin held the gun in one hand, while his other was out in front of him in the woman's direction, keeping her frozen in place. He locked eyes with Annie and gave her a nervous grin.

"Uhm...s-should we call the police?" He asked with the utmost sincerity. Annie raised her eyebrows and straightened herself up.

"Not a powerful telepath?" Annie walked closer to the woman's frozen form. Examining her belt, she found a badge and subtly removed it. "You shouldn't underestimate yourself…" She looked it over with a quizzical expression.

Armin swallowed the lump in his throat and shrugged. "I-I really hate using this aspect of my power, a-and-" He wiped his brow, earning a slightly concerned look from Annie when she noticed he was using the hand he was holding the gun in. "-and it t-takes a lot out of me, to be honest!" Armin grinned at her again and tried to keep his focus on the woman frozen in front of him. The last thing he wanted to risk was her getting free again. "What does the b-badge say?"

"Ral, Petra. Agent." She turned it over in her hands and looked up at the woman apparently known as Petra Ral. "...the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division? That's...quite the mouthful." She glanced Petra up and down and sighed, getting up close to examine her face. "And what does my apartment have to interest you exactly?"

Petra's eyes moved to meet Annie's. She very obviously looked like she wanted to say something, or bolt out of the room. Armin wasn't planning on letting her go however, even if it was a strain. "I've never exactly t-tried reading someones mind like this before, so I don't know how m-much help I can be in figuring that out-"

Suddenly, the room was spinning. Armin's head was throbbing, and he was sick to his stomach. He stumbled, and leaned against the wall. He could barely make out Annie calling out his name before his vision went black.

* * *

><p>Armin opened his eyes, the light from the window hitting them in the most painful way they could. He cringed, and rolled over onto his side. For a moment. he forgot where he was. For all he knew, he could be lying on a street corner in the middle of Brooklyn. No, that certainly wasn't the case though. Beneath him, he felt carpet and loose clothes scattered around. Annie's room, of course.<p>

He tried to get up, but was instead hit with a wave of light headedness and nausea that he'd never experienced before. Armin fell flat on his back and curled into himself, waiting for the wave to pass. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to recall what exactly happened to land him in that position. He was with Annie, some woman from some sort of agency broke in and he froze her, then he was hit over the head with...something. The last thing he recalled was Annie calling his name.

_Annie_. Armin shot up, ignoring the pain in the back of his head for a moment as he frantically looked around the room. The gun was lying across the room facing her bed, while a pile of broken glass from a picture frame lay only inches from him. Her dresser was almost on its side, and the bullet hole on her wall was all too noticeable. Armin thought of Annie's father telling her to keep her guard up and hold down the fort. _Did he know…?_

Slowly, he stood up, grabbing onto her door knob for support. A surge of worry washed over him when he realized Annie wasn't any where to be seen. _They couldn't have-_

Armin rushed out of her room, searching around her apartment. To his horror he found nothing. He concentrated for a moment and tried to get a mental lock on her, but there was no connection to be made. "A-Annie?!" He yelled out in distress, eyes scanning everywhere twice. He rushed back to her room and looked around again, knowing full well he wasn't going to find anything. "Annie!"

Her window was wide open. Armin didn't know whether to feel hope or even more concern at the site. Slowly he walked towards it, then climbed out onto her fire escape. He surveyed the alley below, finding that from his view it was empty besides a couple stray garbage cans. Armin closed his eyes and concentrated again. _Annie, please answer me!_

_-min?_ Armin's head perked up. His head shot back and forth as he searched for the source of that little thought.

_Annie?! Where are you?!_

_Down here._ If Armin could describe the sound of her thoughts in that moment, it would like turning a radio on AM in a bad service area. It was static, and a bit hard to listen to. It certainly did nothing to help his headache. He rubbed his temple and immediately wobbled over toward the steps of the fire escape.

Armin held on to the rails for dear life, fearing a slip at any moment. He was dizzy and more than a little unnerved by how wet the steps still were. His own eagerness got ahead of him however as he skipped a step on his way to the last platform.

"SHIT-" He frantically grabbed onto the bars of the guard rail, but not in time to stop himself from dangling upside down on the edge. His hands clutched tightly onto the platform as the world flipped on him, probably doing more harm than good on his head. His blonde hair spread like a dandelion around his head.

The only bright spot in this situation was the girl in front of him. Annie stood about eye level with him, her eyes wide through her completely crystallized form. "Nice of you to drop by, tiger."

Armin smiled at her weakly, before grimacing at the strain of holding on. "I think your c-crystal form throws my telepathy out of whack, heh. It's like your own personal mental barrier- Jesus, I might puke. I-I really can't pull myself back up, help?"

Annie smirked and looked him up and down. She changed back into her regular form and gestured toward his hands. "Let go. You're not that high up. I'll grab you."

"I'm at least five feet above the ground by the looks of it." He chuckled nervously and loosened his grip on the platform, only to hold on tighter when he felt himself slip. His heart was pounding as he changed his focus from Annie's face to the concrete at the bottom.

"Hey," She snapped her fingers to get his attention back. "Trust me. Just let go."

"Uh, A-Annie it's not that I don't trust you. It's the situation, I mean…" He gulped, and took in a shaky breath. "I probably already have enough of a concussion, uh...w-what happened exactly?"

Annie sighed, and chewed on her bottom lip. "Just relax. I'll tell you everything when we get you back inside." She reached her hands out again and glanced him up and down, an idea striking in her mind, heat rising on her cheeks. "...Just relax."

Before Armin could move anymore, something changed. He felt something soft against his lips, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Annie. She held his face and kissed him deep, long and soft.

It was out of place, but at the same time Armin couldn't be more content. He relaxed into the kiss, and smiled against her lips. His entire brain went fuzzy as he processed what was happening. He couldn't tell whether his face was growing redder from his position, or from Annie. His stomach flipped.

_Oh my god this is happening._

_Oh my god she's kissing me. Oh my god I'm kissing Annie. Oh my god. I'm about fall._

Annie broke away chuckling and leaned her forehead against him for a moment. "You really need to work on your transmitting." She kissed him one last time, lighter and more playful, before simply staring back into his practically dazed eyes. "Now will you relax?"

Armin was speechless. He nodded, a grin wide on his face. She held out her hands, and he let go of the platform. For a moment he panicked, feeling himself slip, but Annie quickly caught him. She looped her arms around him and dragged him the rest of the way off, bringing him to the ground as softly as she could. Armin took in several shaky breaths as he finally felt the effects of the pressure on his head. "T-Thank you…"

"No prob." Her cheeks were burning as much as his, but she certainly showed more composure. "Can you stand?"

"I think so." With Annie's assistance, he got up on his feet, feeling the familiar lightheadedness from before. He stumbled into her, and she held him up as they started walking. "So did you plan that?"

Annie didn't look at him, but her red cheeks were indication enough. "I was just trying to get you to relax."

"Really?" He teased, giving her his best shit-eating grin. "Something tells me that's not quite the truth. Oh yeah. It's your own thoughts."

Annie shot him a glare that melted quickly when she got a good look at his face. "I guess I did have ulterior motives then." She gave him a big smooch on the cheek before leading him towards the front of her apartment complex. "Now shut up, save the talking for after I patch you up."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: When I was writing Armin and Annie's section of this chapter, I started laughing like an idiot to myself because Petra got petrified. PETRAfied. You may proceed to kick me.**

**ANYWAY You have no idea how much I love the idea of an aruani Spider-Man AU. However, since I couldn't quite do it here, I settled with just a couple shout outs! The one in this chapter is pretty obvious and self indulgent, but hey, that's how I roll. The other one's been recurring since Annie came into this fic. Armin's certainly hit the jackpot. wink wink nudge nudge.**

**So this is the last of the chapters I've uploaded onto AO3! From this point on I'm uploading them on both sights simultaneously! However, since I'm very busy these next couple weeks with midterms and a 20's AU that I'm very excited about starting, it may be a bit late. I'm not giving up on it though! This fic is too much fun to write, and I'm far too stubborn. Enjoy! **


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